i 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



i 



THE GOSPEL TO THE AFRICANS 



A XAREATIVE OF THE LIFE AND LABOURS OF 

j THE REY. WILLIAM JAMESOX 

IN JA^*IAICA A]S'D OLD CALABAE. 

BY HIS SON-TX-LAW, 

THE EEY. ALEX. EOBB, A.M., 




The Jlissionary Schoul and Crravtr- ;u Lit-M ! ■ . ii. oid Calahar. 



EDINBURGH: ANDREW ELLIOT, PRINCES STREET. 
LONDON: HAMILTON, ADAMS. & CO. 
1861. 




EDINnFK(3H : T. CONSTAIU-R, 
TRINTFR TO TIIR (JliERN. AND TO TIIK UNI VFKSITY. 



TO 

THE ROSE STREET UNITED PRESBYTERIAX CHURCH 
AND TO 

THE GOSHEN MISSION CHURCH 

THIS MEMORIAL 
OF THE LIFE AND LABOURS OF THEIR 

FIRST FOREIGN MISSIONARY AND PASTOR 
IS INSCRIBED BY 

THE AUTHOR. 



PREFACE. 



The docmnents from which this Vohime has been compiled, 
were read and arranged by the Reverend R. S. Scott, M.A., of 
Manchester, soon after Mr. Jameson's death, with the purpose 
of preparing a Memoir ; but for reasons which it is unnecessary 
to state, this purpose was not carried into effect. Mr, Scott, 
however, wrote a succinct narrative of Mr. Jameson's Life and 
Labours, which appeared in the Scottish Christian Journal. 
From that narrative the Author of tliis Memoir Las obtained 
valuable aid, which he begs thus gratefully to acknowledge. 

These documents consist of Letters, Journals, and Reports, 
which were addressed to the Rose Street Missionary Society, 
and to the Secretary of the Mission Board of the United 
Presbyterian Church. Those addressed to the Rose Street 
Society were read at their meetings ; and interesting portions 
of them were printed in the Yearly Reports of the Rose Street 
Congregation. Large portions of those addressed to Dr. 
Somerville were given in various numbers of the Missionary 
Record ion 1847 and 1848. To have introduced these into this 
Volume would have increased its size beyond what was thought 
proper ; and it was not needful, inasmuch as the Record, with 
its stores of interesting missionary information, is, or should be, 
in the hands of every family in the United Presbyterian Church. 
Many of the most characteristic and touching letters in the 
Memoir were obtained from private friends. 

The Author has not considered it necessaiy to give the docu- 
ments in full, but has exercised his best judgment in selecting 



Vlll 



PEEFACE. 



what appeared to be at once interesting and useful. Neither 
has he given those selections word for word. Mr. Jameson, 
like many other missionaries, wrote amid labours of an engross- 
ing kind, and therefore hastily, pouring out liis thoughts and 
feelings with great rapidity. A little liberty has, therefore, 
been taken with the selections ; and, in a few cases, where two 
or more letters referred to the same subject, and one contained 
statements which were not found in another, these have been 
put together, making the narrative fuller. Repetition has, as 
much as possible, been avoided, but some instances of this may 
have escaped notice. 

This Memoir is a contribution to the story of Emancipation 
— that never-to-be-forgotten passage in the history of Great 
Britain. Memoirs of West India missionaries are important, 
and invaluable in this connexion. The faithful men who were 
missioned by the churches to evangelize the victims of avarice 
and oppression have a right to be heard. ludeed, their evidence 
will one day be considered the only evidence that should be 
trusted. 

The Portrait is considered to be a very good likeness. 
The Vignette, showing the mission burying-ground, and the 
wood-cuts, the first of which exhibits a splendid stretch of the 
Old Calabar river, as seen from Old Town, and the second, 
the scene from Creek Town Mission House, are very good 
representations of African scenery. They have been made from 
sketches taken on the spot by Mrs. Robb. 



Annan, Dccemher 2, 1S61. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER i. 

PAGE 

His birth — Ancestry — Father— CliilcUiood's promise — Early sense of religion — 
The schoolboy— The student, at the University ; at the Divinity Hall— The 
city-missionary — The probationer — Prefers missionary work — At Firth. 
Called to Jamaica — Ordained — Married — The farewell soiree, ... 1 



CHAPTER 11. 

Leaves home — The voyage — First impressions of Jamaica — Country and people 
— Wanted at Green Island — Duty calls to Goshen — Bagnold's Yale — Origin 
of Goshen station — American Baptists— Dreams — Leaders — The new mis- 
sionary in harness — Death of his father, 26 



CHAPTEH III. 

Mode and spirit of mission work — Pembroke Hall — Need of education — A 
prophetess — Visit to Kingston — Shed for meeting— The missionary ca- 
lumniated — The shed opened— Birth of first-born — Godless Europeans, 
missionaries of the dexil — Liberated Africans — Take up house at Lucky 
Hill Pen— The Lord's table in a foreign land — Jamaica fog, and mortality 
among Europeans — Soul renewed— How far is the negro intellect inferior? 
— Scotch immigrants, 44 



CHAPTER IV. 

Emancipation — Feelings of the Emancipated — Sir Lionel Smith's tour of the 
Island — The 1st of August, 1838— Missionary Influence, salutary — Defence 
of Anglo-Ethiopia — Mr. Jameson an educator — Wages difficulty — New 
Church needed — Examination of Catechumens— Mr. Moir arrives — Rent 
difiiculty— Opposition — Birth of a Daughter — Conflicting views of Emanci- 
pation, 74 

CHAPTER V. 

The Jamaica Academy — Anglo-Ethiopia, a lever to raise Africa — Goshen con- 
gregation formed — Wonderful deliverance— No partisan— The negroes on 
strike— Teaching the difference between mine and thine — Massa and the 
people at loggerheads — Church formed— Sets about building— Munificence 
of proprietors — Mr. Barkly — Light of the dwelling extinguished — Particu- 
lars of Mrs. Jameson's death— Verses by Mrs. Jameson — Mr. Barkly lays 
the foundation-stone of the new church — Bonham Spring — Touching retro- 
spect, 105 

b 



X 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTEE VI. 

PAGE 

Incidents — The heavy tongue, but feeling heart — Scenes in the Session — Faith- 
ful discipline — Oppression and its results — The negro not a fool — Church 
building begun— Mr. Moir leaves— Chosen Theological Tutor— Rejects pol- 
luted gifts — Arrival of Miss Jameson — Building struggles — Negro's account 
of the Fall of Adam — The Lord's Supper at Goshen — ^Letters of black 
people, 136 

CHAPTER YII. 

Jamaica Presbyterj" meets at Goshen — The missionary dedication — Seasonable 
aid — The fatherless child sings himself into Canaan — Vindication of the 
African Mission — Church discipline — Mr. Donaldson arrives— Miss . Mary 
Jameson — Battle against the casta of colour — The Divinity Students — 
Death of the Rev. James Paterson— Review of 1842 — Church completed 
and dedicated — Mr. Donaldson's departure and death — All ours is God's 



— Review of 1843 — Heartless corrupters, 169 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Painful controversy — Can a European Missionary depend solely on a negro 
church? — Reluctance of Preachers to engage in foreign service — Rebelling 
against discipline — Report of 1844 — The African Mission — Clifton — Illness 
of Mr. M' Gilchrist— The Missionary sick— Last Goshen Report, . . . 197 

CHAPTER IX. 

The Mission to Old Calabar — Mr. Jameson called to join it — ^Accepts the call — 
Appeals to the preachers — Finds a substitute— Farewell to Goshen — At 
home— Ordination of Rev. John Campbell, 227 

CHAPTER X. 

Voyage to Old Calabar — Arrival — Fernando Po — Duke Town — Creek Town — 
Preaches through interpreters— Opens school — Calabar marketing and 
house-keeping— Egbo Institution — Linguistic talents needed by a foreign 
missionary— Death of Eyamba— King Eyo Honesty — The Warree returns 
from Jamaica— Closing labours— Illness— Death, 253 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESOK 



CHAPTER I. 

His birth — Ancestry— Father— Childliood's promise — Early sense of religion — 
The schoolboy— The student, at the University ; at the Divinity Hall — The city- 
missionary — The probationer — Prefers missionary work — ^At Firth. Called to 
Jamaica — Ordained — Married — The farewell soii-ee. 

The subject of tliis Memoir lived so loving and useful a life 
that lie was greatly missed when lie died. He was missed in 
every sphere through Vv^hich his course led him : in Orkney, 
in Jamaica, in Old Calabar, in the circle of his friends. In 
each he was greatly loved and leaned- on ; and severe was the 
wrench that affection suffered when he was taken away. 

The best improvement that survivors in the field of labour 
and of conflict can make of the death of an honoured and 
zealous servant of God, is to believe and work like him. 
William J ameson, being dead, yet speaketh to missionaries ; 
to those still living whom he taught publicly, and from house 
to house ; and, not less, to all who may become acquainted 
with his singularly affectionate, pious, and devoted character. 

He was born at Methven, in Perthshire, on the 27 th of 
December 1807. As he came of a godly race — of men honoured 
in the history of the cause of God in Scotland, a few notices 
of some of his ancestors will, we doubt not, interest the reader. 
Margaret Pringle, his mother, was a daughter of the Kev. Dr. 



2 



MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



Pringle of Perth and Jane MoncriefF, one of the children of the 
Kev. Alexander Moncrieff of Culfargie, minister of the parish 
of Abernethy. His father, the Eev. John Jameson of Methven, 
was the son of the Eev. William Jameson of Kilwinning and 
Mary Wilson, youngest daughter of the Eev. William Wilson, 
minister in Perth. He was thus a great-grandson, by the 
mother's side, of one, and, by the father's side, of another of 
the honoured fathers of the first Secession. The late Eev. 
Dr. John Brown of Edinburgh, whose name will be long 
fragrant in the Church of Jesus Christ, once said, in his 
own emphatic and kindly manner, to the only daughter of 
the subject of this Memoir : " Your father is in heaven, your 
grandfather is in heaven, your great-grandfathers are in heaven, 
and your great-great-grandfathers are in heaven ; see that you 
lose not your honourable inheritance." 

In the published " Eemains of the late Eev. John Jameson of 
Methven," there is a passage like the above. In a letter to his 
son Alexander, 12th March 1830, referring to the Memoir of 
the Eev. William Wilson, A.M., by the Eev. Andrew Terrier, 
and which had been newly published, he says : "It would do 
you good to have the Memoir by you, and to read in it daily, 
how one with whom you are so nearly connected lived with God. 
He prayed much, and much for his children, and we who are 
his children's children, have come into his prayers. My dear 
A., when the Memoir is put into the bookseller's window, let 
some one who knows, have to point to you, with honourable 
respect, saying, ' And there goes one of his descendants, and, by 
the grace of God, not unlike him.' In Glasgow, your own 
grandfather preached Christ ; and your great-grandfather and 
his father were men of God, and witnesses for his cause. I did 
not know, before perusing this Memoir, that we were con- 
nected, by Mr. Wilson's mother, with Mr. James Guthrie, who 
suffered martyrdom, in the reign of Charles il, at the cross of 
Edinburgh. Our little family is compassed about with a cloud 
of witnesses." 

The father of William Wilson was Gilbert Wilson, who pos- 
sessed a small estate near East Kilbride, in Lanarkshire. 



A^'CESTEY^ 



3 



Being a zealous Presbyterian, he \\'as persecuted during the 
reign of the second Charles. The authorities deprived him of 
his heritable property, and sold his moveables at the cross of 
Glasgow. Mearns Muir, an extensive moorland in that district, 
was his hiding-place for a vdiole winter. At length, he 
escaped to Holland, Avhere he found an asylum, until he re- 
turned with the Prince of Orange in 1688. His estate was 
not restored to him ; but, as some compensation for his losses, 
he was, at length, appointed comptroller of the customs at 
Greenock. Such was "William Yvllson s father. 

His mother, Isabella Eamsay, was the eldest daughter of 
Mr. Ramsay of Shielhill, a gentleman of property, near Kirrie- 
muir in Forfarshire. Mr. Eamsay was an Episcopalian, and a 
keen supporter of the Stuart dynasty. ]\Iiss Eamsay was Mrs. 
Guthrie's niece : and while on a vi>it to her aunt, she became 
pious, and joined herself to the Presbyterians. Being disowned, 
in consequence, by her father, she found a shelter under Mr. 
Guthrie's roof, until her marriage with Gilbert Wilson. When 
her son William was prosecuting his studies for the ministry, 
her brother, who had succeeded to Shielhill, offered to leave it 
to her and her son, provided the latter would become an Epis- 
copalian. This condition not being accepted, Shielhill was left 
to a younger sister and her heirs. Father, mother, and son, 
all thus suffered for conscience' sake ; and the last had a fur- 
ther tasting of the same cup when, along with ivloncrieff of 
Culfargie, the Erskines, and others, he had to give up his 
living in the Church of Scotland, through the violence of a 
faithless and unchristian majority. They were animated with 
the spirit that had breathed in the martyrs and heroes of the 
Scottish Covenant. 

The wife of William Wilson— one of the great-grandmothers 
of the subject of this memoir — was a lineal descendant of 
George Jamesone of Aberdeen, the " Yandyke of Scotland,'' 
" the &st inhabitant of Great Britain, the works of whose 
brush could stand comparison with foreign painters." 

The Eev. W^illiam Jameson of Kilwinning, when a preacher, 
in 1762, was appointed by the Secession Synod to proceed 



4 



MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



as a missionary to America ; but as the congregation of Kilwin- 
ning desired him for their minister, the Synod, at its next 
meeting, released him from his missionary appointment. 

The memory of the Kev. Dr. Pringle is still fragrant in the 
city of Perth, where, for a period of sixty-two years, he was 
minister of the North Secession Church. He died in 1839, 
in the eighty-seventh year of his age, retaining his faculties 
fresh, and keeping up with a progressive generation to the 
last. 

The Rev. John Jameson, father of the subject of this Me- 
moir, was a man whom to know was to love and esteem. In 
his Memoir of the late Dr. John Brown, Dr. Cairns speaks of 
Mr. Jameson as a " man of tme genius, and the fragments of 
whose mind show an originality and brilliancy not often reached 
in the finished productions of others." The Rev. George Gil- 
fiUan also WTites of him in terms of the most generous appre- 
ciation. He says that he " was a man of various moods, as 
many men of genius are ; but, unlike some of that class, he 
w^as, in all his moods, amiable." "Jameson was indeed a 
singular composite. He was in intellect and genius a man, 
in simplicity and unconsciousness a child, and in affection a 
woman." " Even more than a man of genius, he was a man 
of heart, and of a heart that had been cradled and cultivated 
in the school of many sorrows." Of his "letters," he says 
that they "are, in pathos, in beauty, and in originality, in- 
ferior to none in the language." And of his sennon on " True 
Fame," that "it told with prodigious power, and constitutes, 
next, perhaps, to a sermon on Elijah, by Dr. Ferrier, the best 
printed discourse by any one minister of the United Presby- 
terian Church. The introduction is musical as the liquid lapse 
of the Earn itself, and several other parts are highly energetic." 
And of the subject of this Memoir, " Jameson's beloved son, 
William," that he was his father's "picture in appearance and 
fac-simile in disposition." 

" The seed of the righteous is blessed." They are indeed 
blessed when, in answer to the prayers of pious parents, God 
converts them in early youth ; and when these parents are 



EARLY DAYS. 



5 



afFectionately wise in training tliem for nobly doing their life'.s 
work. Such parents as Mr. Jameson of Methven and his ex- 
cellent vrife, could not but exert a most benign influence on 
their children. In their case, grace has run in the line, and 
they have every one chosen the God of their fathers to be 
their ov\m God, and been identified with the Saviour's public 
cause. 

William Jameson was pious from his childhood. On the 
evenicg of the day on which he left Methven to sail for 
Jamaica, while the lessened circle sat together sorrowful at the 
departure of one so greatly beloved by them all, his good 
father said, " Well, my children, I got William from the Lord ; 
from the hour of his birth I gave him to the Lord ; and I 
never had cause to regret either the receiving or the giving." 

The following incidents show the budding of an early piety 
which, at length, expanded into the fragrance and fruitfulness 
of maturity. He was about three years of age, when, one day, 
his father led him out of doors during a thunderstorm, to see 
what he would think of it. They soon heard a very loud 
peal ; and William, grasping his father s hand in his, said, 
pointing upwards, " Stop, papa, stop ! God is playing a tune on 
the clouds." 

When he was about four years of age, a brother was born, 
who died in two weeks. He was named Adam.. After the 
infant's death, his mother overheard William praying very 
earnestly, and weeping out, " Lord, I thank thee for Adam, 
though Adam is dead." 

On another occasion, when he wanted money for some of his 
own purposes, his mother heard him in his little closet praying 
for coppers. The word struck her, and she asked him when he 
came out, why he used that word. Blushing deeply, he said, 
" Mother, money was too big a word for me. I wanted only 
pence." He was then about six years old. 

When he was about twelve years old, one Saturday evening 
before the Lord's Supper, his sister Jane and he were sitting 
together. He spoke to her about the badness of her heart, 
and mourned that his own was so hard with respect to God 



6 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



and eternity. Among other things, he said, "This heart of 
mine is very cold and dead. 1 have been fighting to bring it 
under the influence of the Word of God ; but to-night, that 
blessed word makes no more impression on it than a piece of 
small cord would make on a lump of hard, thick, tarry rope." 
Then, lifting up his tearful eyes to heaven, he implored the 
Lord to have pity on his heart, to subdue it to himself, and to 
fill it with love to Jesus Christ. 

The following incident shows the existence, in the boy, of 
the kind and generous disposition which made it a pleasure for 
the man to spend, and toil, and suffer for others. When he 
was at Methven school, on one occasion the master thought 
it to be his duty to punish a few of the girls for being late. 
One of these was the constant companion of the young Jame- 
sons, and a relative of the family. When she was about, in 
her turn, to "hold out" her hand, William started from his 
seat, ran up to the master, and said, " Sir, do give me the 
punishment, and let her oft*." The little girl for whom he so 
kindly offered himself as a substitute, afterwards became his 
wife, and the partner of his missionary labours till her early 
death at Goshen. 

After attending school at Methven, he was sent to the Perth 
Academy, where he remained till July 1823. He then re- 
turned to Methven, and spent a year under the eye of his 
father, preparing for the University, which he entered in No- 
vember 1824, in his sixteenth year. During that period he 
opened an evening class, at the desire of several young men 
who wished to improve themselves in general and religious 
knowledge, and in this work he spent two hours each night. 
The meetings of this class were happy meetings, both for the 
teacher and for the learners. Six or seven of these young men 
became preachers or teachers, and filled important situations in 
different parts of the country with credit and advantage. Mr. 
Jameson studied four sessions at the University of Edinburgh, 
punctual, conscientious, and diligent in his work, and with 
characteristic ardour seeking such academical acquirements as 
become a minister of the Word of God. 



COLLEGE LIFE. 



In 1828, he entered the Divinity Hall of the United Asso- 
ciate Synod, which was then under the care of Drs. Mitchell 
and Dick. After his second session at the Divinity Hall, in 
October 1829, he became an agent of the Perth City Mission 
tUl July 1831, when the connexion ceased, as he and his 
friends thought it proper that, since the period approached 
when he would become a licentiate, his time should be whoUy 
given to study. 

In one of the reports of the Perth City Mission (March 
1831), the Committee say that they have reason to bless 
God, that, while their other agent has been so frequently 
changed, ]\Ir. Jameson has been permanent, and still continues 
the zealous and indefatigable agent of the Society. Of Mr. 
Jameson, as he is present, the Committee cannot speak with 
freedom, as delicacy forbids this. Yet the Committee will 
earnestly pray that he may be strengthened for, and pre- 
served in, his many arduous duties ; and that, while it pleases 
God to favour the Society with his valuable services, the con- 
solations of the gospel may abound, more and more, to his 
own souL" 

In 1832, the Committee reported that " it was with ex- 
treme regret that they parted with this gentleman. They 
feel justified in saying that his labours were abimdantly cha- 
racterized by a humble and devoted spirit, and they are jus- 
tified in adding, nay, they would be culpable in withholding, 
their testimony to the success with which it has pleased God 
to crown those labours. They see, in his case, realized the 
fulfilment of the gracious assurance of the Divine Being — an 
assurance which will be fulfilled in the experience of all his 
humble, persevering, devoted servants, if not in this, at all 
events, in another world — ' Them that honour me I will 
honour.' " 

The missionary visited, for four hours daily, except on 
Saturdays ; held three meetings weekly : and, on Fridays, 
visited the sick. Mr. Jameson's service was not mere task- 
work. It was conscientious ; and was, obviously, a labour of 
love. It was the laboiu" of one who was anxious to do good 



8 



MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



to souls, and wlio was earnest in Ms blessed Master s work. 
Two cases in which he was honoured to bring souls to the 
Saviour, are thus narrated in the Missionary Record of the 
United Preshyterian Churchy for January 1848 : — ''An old 
woman was greatly opposed to his visits, and, at last, became 
so annoyed at his perseverance, that, one day, when she heard 
his foot on the stair, she threw a stool at him, and, in the 
act of turning round to get away, fell and hurt her knee. He 
raised her up, helped her into the house, and got a medical 
man to put her knee to rights. A bad swelling came on, 
which, ' in eighteen months, cut her off. He saw her every 
week, and, during that time^ the poor woman came to her- 
self, and was brought to the Saviour. She expressed, at al- 
most every visit, her thankfulness that he had been led to 
her door, notwithstanding her anxiety to keep him away, and 
blessed the Lord for the accident which, though producing 
death to her body, had, she said, wrought life in her soul. 
The other case was that of a man who led a very bad life, and 
had, by his vicious habits, brought his family to want. Mr. 
Jameson was anxious to get hold of this man, but was for a 
long time unsuccessful, as he invariably bolted his door when 
he was aware that Mr. Jameson was near the house. One 
day, however, he noticed this man's door open, and, looking 
in, saw that he was laid upon his bed. His complaint was 
inflammation of the lungs. The man listened attentively to 
what he said to him, declared that he was sorry for the way 
he had treated him, and asked him to return soon. Mr. 
Jameson visited him frequently, conversed and prayed with 
him ; and his instructions were blessed. This man, who was 
formerly a terror to the neighbourhood, became meek as a 
lamb, and delighted to hear about Christ and his salvation. 
Being obliged to leave home for two weeks, Mr. Jameson 
hastened, the morning after his return, to this man's house. 
The door was standing open, the bed-curtains all thrown up, 
and the neighbours assembled in the room. He entered softly, 
and found him near his end. The people informed him that 
the dying man had longed greatly for his return in order that 



LICENSE TO PREACH. 



9 



he might tell him what the Lord had done for his soul. He 
waited to see the issue. In a few moments, the man oj^ened 
his eyes, and looking up, as if he beheld his Saviour, sang 
audibly, ' Thou fairer art than sons of men,' and immediately 
expired." 

The interval between the sessions of 1831 and 1832 was 
spent with his father at Methven. This must have been a 
season of profit and progress. Hallowed intercourse with 
such a parent, and continuous study in a quiet rural town, 
where there was comparatively little to distract attention and 
consume time, could not fail to enlarge and perfect his views 
of divine truth, and fit him for the work of the ministry. His 
father w^as peculiarly fond of studying the Hebrew Scriptures. 
A portion was read and pondered every morning ; and he 
frequently came down into the family circle with a face 
radiating delight and satisfaction at the ever fresh and cheer- 
ing views which he was obtaining of the Word of God, — 
views which he used to say were conveyed to him by the 
ministry of angels. To enjoy daily the discourse of such a 
father was an inestimable boon to the student and to the 
future missionary. 

In September 1833, Mr. Jameson was licensed to preach 
the gospel, by the United Associate Presbytery of Perth, and 
placed upon the list of probationers. He continued doing the 
work of a probationer for upwards of two years. 

During the period w^hen he was a preacher, Mr. Jameson 
was sent to supply at Tunly Chapel, and, while living there, 
he wrote to his aunt. Miss Mary Pringle, a letter of which the 
following is an extract : — 

" I am working at Tunly with this encouragement, at 
least, that it is the work of God, and that his word does not 
return unto him void. The population are extremely igno- 
rant, careless, and depraved. ... A religious Scotchman who 
comes to such a part of the country as this, sacrifices much, 
whatever he may gain in a temporal point of view. ... I 
love the classes ; a number of the pupils are making consider- 
able progress. I preach twice at the chapel on Sabbath, and 



10 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



have commenced a preaching station in a small village, on my 
way home on the Sabbath evening. . . . My lodgings are very 
comfortable. I have a snug parlour and bed-room, with a most 
excellent feather-bed. To my breakfast, I have toast and 
coffee ; to my dinner, roast or boil ; but I am starved for want o' 
kail. My landlady makes a kind of soup she calls broth, but 
they are no kail. If I don't live well it is my own fault." 

Dr. Newlands, of Perth, in a letter written 17 th November 
1835, says : ^' When I was last in company with Mr. Ellis of 
Saltcoats, I asked him, in the course of conversation, why Mr. 
William Jameson had not had appointments in the central 
districts of our church. Mr. Ellis replied that Mr. Jameson 
had always been appointed to the missionary districts, in com- 
pliance with his own special request, as affording scope for that 
species of labour which was most congenial to his mind. I 
have reason to believe that his mind has been turned to mis- 
sionary service from the commencement of his studies, and that 
a call to any congregation in this country would interfere with 
plans of usefulness which have been ardently cherished." It 
is, however, said that one of the vacant churches in the deno- 
mination had resolved to call Mr. Jameson, and was deterred 
from doing so by learning that he was bent on foreign service, 
rather than on the pastoral work at home. His father, writing 
(29th January 1836), says — I know my son's intentions to 
be, and to have been, for a long time favourably turned to the 
West Indies." Missionary work, both at home and abroad, he 
specially liked. He desired rather to gather a little flock in 
some heathen wilderness into the fold of the G-ood Shepherd, 
than to be employed in tending a flock already gathered. He 
has been known to exchange an appointment to a vacant con- 
gregation, even when he had reason to believe that he was 
favourably regarded by it, for one at an obscure missionary 
station. And, therefore, he readily agreed to take charge of a 
station of this kind at Firth, a parish lying between Kirkwall 
and Stromness, a piece of outfield which the Presbytery of 
Orkney were trying to cultivate. The station was supported 
by the Secession Church in Kirkwall, under the pastoral care of 



LIFE AT FIRTH. 



11 



Dr. Paterson. The Orkney Presbytery appointed Mr. Jameson 
to labour in this field for three months. At the end of that 
time, he had gained the hearts of the people ; and he agreed, 
at, their request, made with the Presbytery's consent, to remain 
with them during the winter of 1835-36. When there was a 
prospect of Mr. Jameson's departure, and Firth was asked to 
give him up to Jamaica, Dr. Paterson wrote (2d March 1836) : 
"It is true, from my own strong desire, and from the uni- 
versal desire of my congregation, to retain Mr. Jameson as our 
missionary, I shall comply with reluctance (with the request to 
give him up) ; but, in the circumstances of the case, I do not 
see what else I can do. I am happy to be able to say, that in 
getting him, I think your congregation will get an excellent and 
very devoted missionary. The people of our station are 
exceedingly attached to him, and I see that his leaving them 
will be a great stroke ; but I must admit that Jamaica has, 
in some respects, preferable claims." 

Mr. Jameson so manifestly spent himself for the people 
among whom he served in the ministry of the gospel, that he 
soon came to be regarded as necessary to their happiness. 
" So completely did he succeed in gaining the affections and 
confidence of the people of Firth, that it is believed there was 
scarcely a dry eye in the district when his resolution to leave 
it was made known." If a few months of labour so endeared 
the young probationer to the people of that Orcadian parish, 
how strongly attached must his own Goshen fiock have been, 
after an intercourse of nearly ten years ! 

Among Mr. Jameson's papers, there remains an address, 
delivered in connexion with the Stromness Missionary 
Society," in the beginning of 1836. This address is v/ritten in 
a fluent and ardent style, and glows with great warmth of zeal 
in the enterprise of missions to the heathen. Taking a glance 
at the wretched condition of fallen man, and the divinely jDre- 
pared remedy revealed in the gospel of Christ, he illustrates the 
suitableness and power of the latter in the hands of God, by a 
reference to the moral history of our own beloved land. He 
then surveys the regions of darkness — the moral wastes — which 



12 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



lie outside the pale of the Church of Jesus, where the devil 
holds unbounded sway over by far the largest part of mankind, 
by means of popish errors, Mohammedan delusions, and the 
superstitions and idolatries of paganism. In looking at the work 
which has to be done, the Christian's heart finds courage and hope 
nowhere but in our mighty God. " Desponding spirit ! lay aside 
thy doubts and fears. Lift thine eyes from these citadels of 
strength, with their towering battlements, and their numerous and 
well-disciplined forces, to Him who sits upon the white horse, on 
whose vesture, dipped in blood, and on whose thigh the name 
is written — ^King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.' See what 
the gospel — the sharp two-edged sword that proceedeth out 
of his mouth — hath already done, and learn what it shall 
again do." 

He then glances at several modern missionary spheres, as 
ISTew Zealand, the Sandwich Islands, and the British West Indies. 
Not only had the labours of Christian missionaries been blessed 
among the bondsmen of our West Indian possessions, but it was 
to gospel influence, and to gospel power, that the recent glorious 
act of complete and universal emancipation was due. In order 
that the whole world may be conquered to God, the divinely- 
appointed means must be used by the people of God. Is that 
man a genuine Christian who does not long to see the kingdom 
of Christ come co-equal with the human race, and who does not 
exert himself to help forward this transcendently glorious con- 
summation 1 While some, as the messengers of the church 
and of the church's Lord, bear the "lamp of life" into the 
dark wastes of heathenism, the church, collectively and indi- 
vidually, dare not look on with indifference. " The hearts of 
Christians must not be shut by avarice, or their arms enervated 
by sloth. All their stores they must bring into the storehouse, 
ere God open the windows of heaven, and pour out millennial 
blessings upon the church and the world." Vigorous, humble 
co-operation in every w^ay, conduct becoming the gospel, and 
united earnest prayer, are all required at the hands of the 
friends of Jesus, in order that they may fulfil their duty, and 
be entitled to the reward of faithful service. Gratitude requires 



MISSIONARY ADDEESS. 



13 



tliis, and so does compassion for the wretched and helpless. 
" What, brethren ! shall the Hindoo any longer be permitted 
to throw away his life under the ponderous wheel of 
Juggernath ? Shall the tender infant still be plunged into 
Ganges, to appease an idol ? Brethren, awake ! Hear the 
voice of God ! Let gratitude, and pity, and conscience arouse 
you to the help of the Lord against the mighty." 

By this time the battle of freedom against slavery had been 
fought and won. After a struggle of twenty years, in which 
Clarkson and Stephen and Wilberforce, with others, contended 
against the African slave-trade, the importation of fresh negroes 
into the colonies was declared illegal in 1807. And on the 
15th of May 1823, a new struggle was begun, when, in the 
British House of Commons, Mr. Buxton rose up to move the 
resolution, " That the state of slavery is repugnant to the 
principles of the British Constitution, and of the Christian 
religion ; and that it ought to be gradually abolished through- 
out the British Colonies, with as much expedition as may be 
found consistent with a due regard to the wellbeing of the 
parties concerned." After a conflict of ten years, on the 28th 
August 1833, the bill for the total abolition of colonial slavery 
received the royal assent. The slaves were to be apprenticed for 
seven years to their former masters, and their masters were to be 
compensated by a gift of twenty million pounds from the treasury 
of Britain. By this arrangement, seven hundred thousand of 
the children of Africa, who were held in bondage in the dominions 
of Great Britain, ceased to be slaves on the 1st of August 1834. 
From that period, to the 1st of August 1840, they were to 
serve their masters under the name of apprentices, and then they 
were to have the full liberty of British subjects. ISTot content 
with breaking the yoke of slavery, British Christians sought to 
provide for the education and religious instruction of the negroes. 
Various sections of the Christian Church had long sent preachers 
of the gospel to the slave ; and these had laboured, amid 
reproach and peril, to bring those, whom man had bound, to the 
liberty with which the Son of God makes his people free. The 
record of these devoted servants of Christ, whether Moravians, 



14 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 

or Wesleyans, or Episcopalians, or Independents, or Baptists, 
or Presbyterians, is on high. They have, and shall have, a 
greater reward than the trumpet-blast of human fame. 

The United Secession Church, also, embarked in this work. 
In the year 183o, it sent out the Rev. James Paterson and the 
Rev. William Mven as missionaries to Jamaica. " The con- 
gregation of Rose Street, Edinburgh, under the ministry of their 
much loved pastor, the Rev. John M'Gilchrist, in the awaken- 
ing spirit of the day, embarked in the Christian enterprise of 
accompanying the maintenance of the gospel among themselves, 
with the activity of a mightier effort, to procure its extension 
also to others. They had a city mission, with its missionary ; 
and a Caelic mission, with its Gaelic missionary, in Tiree, both 
maintained at their own proper charge. They resolved, also, 
to send out an ordained minister, as their own missionary, to 
preach the gospel to the lately emancipated negro population in 
Jamaica, with all expenses at their own proper charge." 

They sought a man from the Lord, and were directed to Mr. 
Jameson, who was then at Firth. They received from those 
who knew him, the best accounts of his piety, steadiness, pru- 
dence, and zeal. " With regard to Mr. William Jameson," 
writes Dr. Newlands of Perth, " only one opinion can be enter- 
tained by those who know him. He is a young man of good 
talents, and very decided piety ; and is more deeply imbued 
with missionary zeal than any of our preachers with whom it 
has been my lot to have personal intercourse. He is a person 
of the greatest prudence and amiability. I should consider any 
congregation or society which can secure the services of such an 
agent, eminently fortunate." 11th November 1835, Dr. Young 
writes, " Mr. William Jameson is well known to me, and I hesi- 
tate not to say, that he is a young man of decided piety, steadi- 
ness, and prudence. His dispositions are peculiarly amiable and 
benevolent ; and he has long shown a strong desire for mission- 
ary usefulness. To all his relatives, however, he is very dear ; 
and the attachment of some of them is so strong, that it will 
operate as a painful difficulty in his way." 

We shall not apologize for inserting here an extract from a 



CALL TO 3IISSI0XAEY LIFE. 



15 



letter written by ^h. Jameson of MetliTen, 2 9th January 1836, 
wlien,]Mr. M'Gilchrist brought to Ms notice the desire of him- 
self and his people to secure his son as their missionary to 
Jamaica : — I confess to you that, although I know my son's 
intentions to be, and to have been, for a long time, favourably 
turned to the West India mission, yet your letter brought the 
matter so much nearer to the point, that it did awaken in my 
mind all the emotions to which you so delicately refer ; and it will 
not surprise you, when I own that the mingling of such emotions 
has made me tardy in acknowledging, on my part, tlie honour 
which your congregation has done him, in making the appli- 
cation which your letter bears. I sincerely thank you, dear 
sir, and the gentlemen of your missionary committee : and I 
regard it as no ordinary tribute of esteem and respect to any 
of mine, to be so accounted of by those, who themselves are 
standing so nobly forward in the most noble of all benevolent 
enterprises. I have no idea what my son may resolve upon 
in the event of yoiu^ applying to him. I can as little say how 
I shall feel if he judge it to be his duty to accept the mission. 
In a matter of such importance, I would leave that which con- 
cerneth me and mine to the higher and better ordering of our 
blessed and gracious Master ; and I humbly trust, that, in this 
matter, in which you and your congregation are so deeply 
and so honourably concerned, he who has sent his Shiloh, will 
send for your confidence and comfort, by the hand of him whom 
he will send." 

The Lord seems always specially to prepare those servants 
whom he calls to any work of unusual difiiculty or responsibihty. 
Trains of thought are traversed : feelings corresponding with 
the enterprise are aroused ; sympathies are awakened and 
cherished : and thus, unconsciously, the servant of the Lord 
is made ready to sever the strongest ties, to say fareweU to 
the dearest friends, to go out of the known and accustomed 
track, and to enter on new and formidable enterprises. The 
history of modern missions abounds with notable illustrations 
of this remark, as is seen in the many records of the lives of 
missionaries, which have so happily been made for the instruc- 



16 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



tion and encouragement of the Church of the living God, ever 
anew summoned to carry forward the work which is to be 
gloriously consummated in the overthrow of the kingdom of 
the prince of darkness, and the complete establishment of the 
kingdom of God, in every corner of the earth. 

The letter written in name of the Directors of the Congre- 
gational Missionary Society of Kose Street, Edinburgh, which 
intimated to Mr. Jameson their wish to send him as their mis- 
sionary to Jamaica, did not find him unprepared, as appears 
from the following reply, dated Orkney, 9th February 1836 : — 
" I received your letter of the 3d, and hasten to return my 
warmest acknowledgments to you, and to your committee, for 
the confidence they repose in me, in offering to commit into 
my hands a trust of so great responsibility. I humbly pray 
that, if my Divine Master lead me to accept of it, he will 
give me grace to be faithful. Although the missionary field 
in Jamaica has been before my mind for some time past, as 
the subject of earnest thought and prayer, yet, I have not been 
able to come to a decision as to the will of my Master regarding 
myself. It is my most anxious desire to know his will, and 
to have a heart to do it. I desire to look up to himself, saying, 
^ Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.' Before I come to any 
determination on a matter of so great importance, it is the wish 
of my father, and it is also my own, that I should see him and 
my other friends, at home ; and their suggestions may lead 
me, by the guidance of unerring wisdom, to see the path of 
duty in the present case. I have laboured, for the last five 
months, as the missionary of the Kirkwall congregation. Your 
letter requires me to hasten home ; the interest of the station 
requires that I should not abruptly leave it. It will be my 
concern, looking at all the views of the case, with the help of 
my father, and under the guidance of the Spirit of God, to know 
that line of conduct which I ought to adopt." 

Accordingly, Mr. Jameson left Firth (on the 20th March 
1836), and, in eight days, addressed Mr. M^Gilchrist from Perth, 
before he had reached Methven, saying, that he became daily 
more satisfied that the path of duty was the one now set before 



DECISION. 



17 



.him, in the providence of his Divine Master, and hoping that 
that Master \yould enable him to go forward joyfully. 

After a month passed in prayerful consideration, and in con- 
sultation with attached relatives, he WTote to Mr. M'Gilchrist, 
30th April 1836 : — I hope the Lord has made me most will- 
ing to carry the message of mercy to the long- oppressed and 
degraded negroes. In the event of my being chosen and sent 
out by your congregation, I vdll consider the circumstance an 
answer to my prayers, and the gratification of a desire which 
my heart has long cherished. I will go depending upon the 
promised grace of the Eedeemer, to make me a workman of 
whom you, who have intrusted me with such a charge, will not 
need to be ashamed ; and through our united instrumentality, 
along with others, that land of bondage will be free indeed, and 
her children speedily seen stretching out their hands unto God."^ 

On 13th June 1836, he wrote to the same : — " My mind is 
more and more reconciled to what is before me ; the more I 
look, the more I am satisfied that I am in the path of duty. 
I am now better able to look at the matter with calmness, and 
though many difficulties appear, why should I be afraid when 
my JMaster has said, ^ My grace is sufficient for thee ? ' I leave 
the land of my nativity, but seek a better country, even 
heaven ; afflictions and trials very possibly await me, but the 
Saviour lives, my shield and fortress, my comforter and de- 
liverer, my portion, and my all. Without a grudge, yea, joy- 
fully, I leave all, trusting that the gospel, in the hand of the 
Holy Spirit, will prove joy to many in the land to which I go ; 
and what can I wish more ? The darkness and misery of 
Jamaica, and the recompense of reward move me. But, above 
all, the thought that he who was rich for our sakes became 
poor, moves me that no more I should live to myself, but to 
him who loved me, and who died for me." 

1 A few days afterwards he visited Edinburgh, and having met with the Directors 
of the Rose Street CongTegational Missionary Association, and preached to the 
congregation, he was, at a general meeting of the Association, held on the 5th of 
May, unanimously and cordially elected as their foreign missionary-agent. The 
call thus ijresented to him he at once accepted, and immediately retui-ned to Meth- 
ven to prepare for being ordained. 

B 



18 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



At length tlie United Associate Presbytery of Edinburgh 
met in the midst of the congregation in their own church, on 
the evening of 7th September, to separate their missionary to 
the solemn and interesting work of benevolence and mercy by 
the laying on of their hands. " The Rev. James Watson, mis- 
sionary from Jamaica, commenced the services with prayer; 
the Rev. Mr. Cooper from Fala preached from 1 John v. 19 ; 
the Rev. Mr. M'Gilchrist offered the ordination prayer, and 
addressed the young missionary and the congregation ; and also 
in the name of the Rose Street Missionary Association, pre- 
sented Mr. Jameson with an elegantl}^ bound copy of the 
Bible, as containing the message which he was to proclaim, and 
the only instructions with which it was their wish to charge 
him. The Rev. Dr. Pringle of Perth, the venerable grand- 
father of the newly-ordained missionary, concluded the solemn 
and impressive services by prayer."^ 

Mr. Jameson, senior, says of the ordination, that " a scene 
more befitting the occasion, or more deeply interesting, has 
rarely been witnessed. Everything was in keeping. It was 
truly as if the Sun of righteousness had indeed broken forth 
on the princely willing people. Every eye looked, every ear 
listened, and every heart was gratified. The w^hole audience, 
and the house was filled to overflowing, hung on to the close of 
the service, with intense and unbroken interest." 

On the day after his ordination, Mr. Jameson was united in 
marriage to Nicolis Mackersy, only daughter of the late Wil- 
liam Mackersy, Esq. of Kinkell, in Perthshire, who also was a 
descendant of the Rev. William Wilson of Perth. As it is con- 
sidered desirable that new missionaries should reach a tropical 
field of labour at the coolest and most salubrious season, their 
departure was deferred for a time ; and thus Mr. Jameson 
had an opportunity of enlarging his acquaintance with the 
members of the Society, under whose care he was to go forth 
to the work of the Lord. " In the new and extraordinary cir- 
cumstances into which the congregation was brought, in the 
almost universal interest throughout the congregation, the 

1 Mr. Scott's narrative. 



ORDINATION. 



19 



people could not rest satisfied with only acting together, and, 
in their devotional exercises, with merely looking at each other, 
in the understood confidence that they were of one heart and 
mind ; the craving of the common heart went out further, 
after a social meeting, in which they might break out in all 
the freedom of mutual conversation on the subject of their 
common enterprise. They threw themselves on the kindred 
feeling of the religious public in Edinburgh, and came to- 
gether to the number of 850, in the soiree on the Monday after 
the ordination. That public, in fellow-feeling far beyond what 
the congregation had anticipated, responded to the proposal, 
and a great company attended." 

The object of this missionary soiree was to bid the youthful 
missionary farewell and God-speed on his mission to Jamaica, 
" The joyousness which so blithely spread itself over the face 
of the whole company, the hum of the busy and cheerful con- 
versation in which the words flew from heart to heart, left 
little room for conjecture that the disciples in Edinburgh, 
having come together in the very same spirit in which their 
brethren had done of old at Troas, entered, during their break- 
ing of bread, also, into the same conversation, one with an- 
other. Did, at Troas, the conversation during the breaking 
of bread, assume its more elevated style, so common among the 
Hebrews, rising into set speeches ? Did Paul, as not a whit 
behind the very chief of missionaries, in such speeches sustain 
and take the lead in the conversation 1 In the same manner 
in the Rose Street soiree, when the repast was finished, the easy 
and familiar talking of the evening to one another gave way also 
to the same loftier order of conversation. This part was sustained 
by Mr. M'Gilchrist, and by the Rev. Messrs. Cooper, Robson, 
and Alexander. Mr. M'Gilchrist gave a brief, luminous, and in- 
teresting narrative of the origin, full of prayer, and the progress 
of the spirit and operation of the Missionary Association in his 
congregation, and its blessed results and thus introduced the 
missionary in terms that flowed from the core of his genial soul, 
and which, eulogistic as they are, truthfully portray the sub- 
ject of them, who was a man greatly beloved : — 



20 



MEMOIR or EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



" What may be called the more special duty I am this night 
expected to perform, is a singularly pleasing one. It is to in- 
troduce to this meeting my esteemed and beloved friend and 
brother, Mr. William Jameson, the ordained missionary of the 
congregation of Rose Street, to Jamaica. All of you, my 
friends, have repeatedly heard this gentleman, with high satis- 
faction, from the pulpit. Many of you have met him, with no 
less pleasure, in private ; but I am confident it is with emotions 
of a higher and warmer satisfaction still, that you meet him, this 
evening, as one whom you have seen invested, at your call, with 
the holy office of the ministry, and who is about, as your agent, 
to leave his native shores to enter on the distant scene of his 
future labours. So now, as on a former evening, I would deem 
it improper to express in public, and in presence of my friend, 
the estimate I have formed of his character and w^orth. I am 
fully persuaded that such a liberty would wound and offend, 
rather than gratify him. Let me only say, that there is nothing 
I could desire in a foreign missionary which I do not find in 
him. His intelligence, his zeal, his prudence, his piety, his 
devotedness, and his genial and conciliatory manners, all com- 
bine to invest him with singular fitness for the work to which 
he is appointed. The better I have known him, the more I 
have loved him. I am not aware that any one, on so short an 
acquaintance, ever established himself so entirely in my con- 
sideration, or secured, by weight of excellence, felt and owned, 
so large a share of my affections ; and the reason of this is 
found in my friend's character, of which simplicity and affection 
are the leading features. You don't require time to study him ; 
you are not left to apprehend anything at variance with your 
first impression, as in the case of artful and soft-hearted men. 
His character is like one of nature's untainted fountains, — 
however deep, in consequence of the translucent purity of its 
waters, you can look, in one glance, to the bottom, where 
nothing but shining sand and bright pebbles meet the eye. So 
is it with the character of my friend. ISTo mud of insincerity 
or of art conceals the bottom ; nor is its surface ruffled by the 
winds of temper ; you see him at once, as you always see him. 



MISSIONS. 



21 



There are no discoveries to be made, but such as are to his 
honour. With such an agent, under the guidance and blessing 
of Heaven, what expectations of happiness and success may we 
not entertain ! Sure am I, my friends, that, through the grace 
of God given him, the great ends of the compact will not fail 
of their accomplishment on his part. Let it be our care that 
there be nothing wanting on ours. I rejoice to think, my 
friends, that in sending i\Ir. Jameson to Jamaica, we have now 
the certain prospect (if both are spared) of sending, not one, but 
two missionaries, to that island. Our friend has been so wise 
and well directed as to secure, before leaving his native country, 
the incalculable advantages of a pious and accomplished 
companion for life ; and to a foreign missionary these ad- 
vantages are indeed incalculable, whether we regard her as a 
woman or as a missionary. iS or are they less valuable to us. 
An intelligent and devoted female, standing in this sacred re- 
lation to the missionary, has a field of usefulness presented 
scarcely less extensive and important than his ] and such, by 
universal testimony, is Mrs. William Jameson. Surely we 
have to congratulate you on this happy consummation, — one so 
full of the promise of comfort to our missionary', and of more 
extensive usefulness in the great enterprise on which he is 
to enter. 

I cannot, my dear brother, bid you farewell on this public 
occasion, vuthout assuring you, in my own name, and in the 
name of the people over whom it is my honour to preside, of 
the sincerity and warmth of that aftection with which we in 
common regard you, and of the unlimited confidence Vv^e repose 
in you as our messenger, in Christ's name, to the heathen. 

"I am fully aware that in the hour of discouragement and 
trial, of sadness and sorrow, the richest source of your comfort 
will be found in the sympathy and grace of your Divine 
Master ; but, in such an hour, the thought may not be without 
its influence to soothe and sustain the fainting spirit, that you 
live in the esteem and affection of le people at whose instance 
and at whose charge you are serving the Redeemer in a distant 
land ; and that their fervent prayers, and fondest wishes, and 



22 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



ardent love follow you to the scene of your labours. Yes, you 
are in our hearts, my dear brother, if we cannot say to die 
and to live with you, at least, we can truly say to suffer and to 
rejoice with you ; tenderly and intensely to sympathize with you 
in all your future experience, whatever be its character and 
complexion. And now I commend you to God, and the word 
of his grace, and to him who is able to keep you from falling, 
and to present you faultless before the throne of his glory, with 
exceeding joy." 

The other speakers dwelt on the duty and necessity of 
Christian missions, the claims of the negroes, and the en- 
couragements to increased missionary enterprise. Mr. Jameson, 
senior, signified how willingly he gave his son to God, to the 
■work, and to the congregation, Mr. Fyfe, Convener of the 
Missionary Committee, addressed the missionary in name of 
the congregation, bidding him farewell, and praying him the 
countenance and aid of the God of their salvation. The 
missionary, in reply, claimed the unfeigned remembrance of 
their prayers ; and pressed upon them, above all, the sure and 
diligent attention to their own eternal salvation, as the best 
support from home v/hich could reach him far abroad. 

" It w^as now far in the evening. George Thompson, Esq., 
rose, for he had been earnestly solicited ; but such was the 
overwhelming interest of the scene, that a man, one of the 
master spirits of the age, seemed for a moment to hesitate, 
whether, from such an eminence of high excitement, it was 
lawful for him to proceed. He did proceed, and in that elo- 
quence which has seldom, indeed, if ever, burst from the lips of 
man. The Spirit of God came down upon him. It was as if 
the veil which is hung between heaven and earth had been 
drawn aside for a little moment, to let out upon him, in the 
riches of a higher measure than is ordinarily allotted to the 
sons of the mighty, a stream, in its full flood of the vastness 
of thought ; of bold, and happy, and grand conceptions j of 
ever-ready, ever-varying, and overpowering utterance. As 
the descending Spirit came down upon him, the impassioned 
language of the speaker rose, presenting to every eye the scene 



YALEDICTOKY MEETING. 



23 



which, from such a meeting as this, opened on the view, and 
exhibiting the toil of years, and of many a struggle, to carry 
the strongholds of negro oppression, and remove the rubbish, 
now giving way to the loftier enterprise still of rearing in its 
place, on the very spot, the house of God, in all the simplicity, 
the tiTith, and the nol}le grandeur of the building of mercy. 
It was well-nigh midnight : and as they hung on in breathless 
attention, as this bold, and interesting, and Christian philan- 
thropist continued his speeT'h, the whole multitude looked one 
willing consent to cling to him, listening on to the break 
of day.'' 1 

Other and more private meetings followed for prayer and 
conference on the work to which the Society and their agent 
were pledged ; and, on the 2oth October, the directors and 
collectors assembled, for the express purpose of commending 
Mr. and Mrs. Jameson to the divine guidance and protection, 
and of bidding them an affectionate and final farewell. In 
these meetings, Mr. Jameson confirmed the good opinion, and 
strengthened those friendly feelings with which the members 
of the association had, from the first, regarded him : while the 
spirit of brotherly love, and of devotion to the cause of mis.-ions, 
which pervaded them, must have constrained him to thank 
God and take courage, and thus prepared him for going forth 
with greater cheerfulness and confidence, to proclaim that 
message of mercy and salvation with which he was put in 
trust." - 

The devoted servants of the Redeemer in Rose Street Church, 
Edinburgh, have alvrays acted thus by those missionaries whom 
they have sent out. They have ever sought to beget and 
cherish in them a spirit of confidence, and to send them on 
their way rejoicing. 

The voluntary exiles, about to proceed on their distant 
mission, had now before them a duty which is of all duties 
the most trying, and which is trying in proportion to the 
strength and tenderness of the aft'ection that subsists between 
those who have to go and those who remain behind. They 

1 :>Ir. Jameson, senior. " Scott's narrative. 



24 



MEMOIE OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



had to take leave of an attached circle at Methven, Airdrie, 
Perth, etc., who clung to them with ardent affection. It is 
natural that a parent should find it hard to part with a son 
or daughter who is disposed to engage in the work of preach- 
ing the gospel to the heathen. But, surely, it is an offence of no 
ordinary magnitude in a Christian parent, resolutely to hinder 
one who is fitted in body, mind, and spirit, for the work ; and 
who, from being inclined, seems heaven-called to go, with the 
" lamp of life," to the dark places of the earth. We lately 
heard of a case which ought to warn parents whose affection 
blinds both their judgment and their conscience in this matter, 
A son was bent on being a missionary, but his parents per- 
sistently refused their consent. Mark the end ; that youth, 
once so full of promise, became a wanderer from God, and fell 
at once from religion and from virtue. Instead of leaving his 
native land, with the prayers and blessings of the Church of 
Grod, he left as a prodigal, and went no one knows whither ; 
and the child whom a mistaken affection refused to the honour- 
able service of God, has gone, a miserable wreck, in the ser- 
vice of Satan. 

This part of our narrative will best be wound up by a few 
sentences from a letter written by Mr. Jameson of Methven to 
Mrs. Mackersy, on the departure of his son and her daughter. 
It carries us back to the quiet manse at IMethven, where so 
much that was good and amiable found a home ; and we 
weep in sympathy with the patriarch whose lover and friend 
had been put far from him, and whose eldest born was now 
departing for a distant land, leaving another big blank in the 
lessening household band. 

Methvej^, 20th October 1836- 
" Yesterday William and his spouse, Mcolis, left us to their 
Jcail with your old friend Mrs. Ritchie, on their way, for 
good and all, to Perth. ... The morning of their departure 
was something like death ; although we were expecting it, 
and knew t e hour as it drew on, yet there was still some- 
thing to do ; but on it came — there was a hurry, a struggle, 
a tearing asunder ; off they went, and, in five minutes, we 



FAREWELL. 



25 



felt that they were gone. My little darling (Mrs. W. J.) be- 
haved like a princess ; she adjusted everything. Her won- 
drous presence of mind never forsook her ; she was in no 
fluster ; she giggled not : she smiled not ; pale as death, and 
silent as marble, she put her hand in mine, kissed me, 
and slipped away. C4od bless thee ! child of my heart, my 
daughter 1 the fatness of the dew of heaven come down on 
thy sorrows and on thy joys ; the blessing of thy father and 
the house of thy fathers rest on thy lot, and be the cro^ii of 
thy head ! 

" AYe had a soiree, too, in Perth ; and a feeling and interest- 
ing meeting in the school here with the congregation, on the 
occasion of their presenting "William with a watch, as a me- 
morial of their esteem. On Saturday, the elders and managers 
presented "William with a psalm-book, as a companion to his 
Rose Street Bible. ... I had little spirit for these things, 
and I was ofttimes angry with myself : for, in the midst of tlie 
scenes of gladness, I could feel no kindred spirit in them. It 
was to my children ! my children ! my children I that my 
heart ran and clung. I am, however, more and more satisfied 
that He who loved us, and gave himself for us, is claiming 
them for the work to which he hath called them ; and he 
knows that, without grudge or murmur, I frankly surrender 
them to himself and to his work of mercy. ... I humbly 
trust that He will never forsake them ; and if, by their means, 
a single sinner be saved, a single soul be comforted ; nay, 
if but one word, a message of mercy, be carried across the 
Atlantic, to a single vessel of mercy, through their instru- 
mentality, he is welcome to the messengers, and we are 
honoured, and more than paid, by the message given them 
to carry." 

Thus did such a father give such a son to the work of 
God. He surrendered him and his wife, whom he loved as 
a daughter, with his whole heart, although his uncommon 
affectionateness of spirit made it a severe struggle, and cheer- 
fully did he bid them God-speed. 



26 



MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON, 



CHAPTERII. 

Leaves home— The voyage — First impressions of Jamaica — Country and people- 
Wanted at Green Island — Duty calls to Goshen— Bagnold's Vale— Origin of Goshen 
station — American Baptists— Dreams— Leaders — The new missionary in harness — 
Death of his father. 

" Heaeing that the ^ Christian/ in which a passage to 
Jamaica had been secured, was to sail about the 11th of 
November, Mr. and Mrs. Jameson proceeded to Greenock ; 
but the vessel being detained eleven days longer, they resided 
in the house of the Eev. Mr. Sinclair, who showed them the 
kindest attentions. At length, on the 2 2d November, Mr. 
Sinclair accompanied them to the ship ; and, having com- 
mended them to the grace of God, returned to inform the 
Eose Street Association, and all the other kind friends who 
felt an interest in Mr. and Mrs. Jameson, that they had sailed 
from the land which was most dear to their hearts, containing, 
as it did, the graves of their ancestors, the homes of their youth, 
and many friends to whom they were most tenderly attached." 

A letter from his father, dated Methven, 25th November 
1836, contains a reference to their departure. "William 
sailed on Thursday. God does all things well. By this delay, 
our missionaries had an opportunity, on Sabbath, of sitting 
down with their brethren in Greenock, and eating the Lord's 
Supper, ere they proceeded on their voyage, — a meal for forty 
days. If the wind has been with them, in the same direction 
as with us, they should, by this time, be getting on towards or 
across the Bay of Biscay. Be this as it may, we know who 
sees them, and who hears us." 

After being towed down the Clyde, they were forced, by a 
head wind, to take shelter in Kothesay Bay. " The next 



THE VOYAGE. 



27 



morning," writes Mr. Jameson, "-v^e left tlie place of our re- 
treat before a favourable breeze. On Friday, we found our- 
selves off the coast of Ireland. But now the wind turned 
completely against us, and we were, for several days^ at the 
mercy of an unpropitious gale. On the follovriug week, it 
veered round, once more, in our favour, and we had a speedy 
run to the Bay of Biscay. Again, the wind turned against us, 
and drove us back to the Irish coast, where we lay for a num- 
ber of days, tossed, without ceasing, on the tempestuous deej) ; 
till it pleased our heavenly Father to send a breeze which car- 
ried us on our way past the Azores, with St. Mary's full in 
view, into the region of the trade-winds." 

The voyagers, hovrever, were disappointed in their hopes of 
the smooth seas and favouring breezes of this region, so welcome 
after the anxieties and tossings and miseries of the Channel 
and the ill-famed Bay of Biscay. They met with head- winds 
and stormy waves for some time, till about the 8th of January 
1837, when, at last, the trade-wind wafted tliem onwards to 
the sunny smiling archipelago of the West — ever looked back 
to with affection and interest by those who have once had a 
home there. They passed Deseada " — the desired — a small 
island off Guadaloupe, the first land seen after leaving the 
Western Isles. ^^It was, indeed," says Mr. Jameson, ''an ob- 
ject of great desire ; we looked for it with much eagerness, 
and when we saw it, we gazed on it as a strange thing." 
Passing through the channel, between Antigua on the right 
hand, and Montserrat on the left, they would pass in view of 
the large rock Redondo — the round — which, when seen from a 
particular point, and especially in the dusk of the tropical 
evening, has so much the appearance of a large vessel in full 
sail, that, it is said, the captain of a Dutch man-of-war, cruis- 
ing in those seas, fired several shots at it before discovering his 
mistake. On the 20th, the Blue Mountains of Jamaica rose to 
view. They saw, at length, the Queen of the Antilles, sitting 
there in all her mingled beauty, variety, and sublimity, one of 
the fairest spots on God's earth, though, for so many generations, 
polluted by an amount of moral vileness, of oppression, and of 



28 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



wrong, such as the great day of judgment alone can reveal. 
Mr. Jameson noted in his journal : " In the morning, I rose about 
three o'clock, and on going on deck, the mate hailed me with 
the welcome tidings that the land to which we were bound 
was now in view. I looked, and, in the moonlight, saw before 
me the Blue Mountains. Oh, if ever I felt gratitude, it was 
then. Looking at these mountains, I was filled with wonder 
and awe ; every unholy feeling was chased av<^ay for a season ; 
I was elevated above the transient scene ; I thought of heaven, 
and wished that I was entering there, to look, and wonder, 
and praise. The whole coast is exceedingly beautiful, diversi- 
fied with verdant hills, and here and there a town, and here and 
there an estate, like a village at home for size." 

They had prayers in the cabin every evening during the 
voyage, and Mr. Jameson preached on deck every Sabbath 
when the weather permitted. On the Sabbath evenings he 
taught a class of seven or eight young persons. While they 
were ofi:' San Domingo, an apprentice fell from the mast-head 
into the water, striking against the vessel as he fell. " He 
was a very fine boy," writes Mr. Jameson, " one whose ac- 
quaintance with divine truth, and whose marked attention, 
while I was speaking, pleased and struck me much. Alas 1 
his image is vividly before me, as he sat on his stool with his 
bonnet and his hands between his knees, his body reclining 
forward, and his fixed eye and interesting countenance resting 
on me, as I told them that we might not all meet together 
again ; that our next meeting might be at the judgment-seat 
of Christ ; that ere another Sabbath some of us might be in 
eternity. The sad scene of to-day chides me for remissness. 
Oh, had I known that it would take place, with what earnest- 
ness would I have urged upon them the Saviour ! But may 
I learn from this ever to feel myself and my hearers on the 
brink of eternity." 

Observe the exercises of a genuinely pious heart in these 
expressions, following a description of the calm and beautiful 
hour of setting sun and rising moon in the tropics. " But, 
oh, how cloudy the mind ! How agitated with stormiest pas- 



FIRST IMPEESSIONS. 



29 



sions the soul ! liglit is there and no serenity. Oh, 

wretch that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of 
this death 1 Thanks, eternal thanks to God, for the gift of 
his Son, who dispels the thickest darkness, and subdues all 
things to himself" Keader, be not surprised ; the exercise is 
genuine ; the self-abasement is proper and warranted ; the 
consciousness of this sin and misery on the one hand, while, 
along with it, there is a humble but firm hope in God through 
Jesus Christ, on the other, betokens a not unhealthy spiritual 
state, and fits the servant of God for his work whether at 
home or abroad. 

On the 21st of January 1837, the "Christian" anchored 
at Montego Bay. On that day Mr. Jameson wrote in his 
journal : — " We have at last reached our long wished-for har- 
bour. The passengers and the captain have gone ashore, and 
we are left for a little to ourselves. All is now quiet, and we 
feel lonely. We have just received a letter from Mr. Pater- 
son of New Broughton, expressing his regret at having to 
leave Montego Bay before our arrival, and telling us how 
anxious they all were about us. This letter has cheered us 
greatly. . . . Everything reminded us that we vvere strangers. 
Our fellow-passengers were surrounded by friends, who wel- 
comed them home by their tears, and their smiles, and their 
kind caresses ; but we felt that we were alone. Shield of the 
stranger ! we were happy in Thee. Doubtless, God of our 
fathers ! thou art our Father. God is with us, and our 
prayers, and the prayers of many on our behalf, lie before his 
throne. Swarthy faces, strange-looking houses, uncouth dia- 
lect, cocoa-nut trees with their star-like clusters of waving 
leaves, orange trees, mingled gold and green, and, above all, a 
blazing sun, made us feel ourselves among new scenes and a 
strange people. Not knowing any person in Montego Bay 
we remiained on board all night. Next morning, Mr. Holmes, 
a Scotchman, and editor of a widely circulated newspaper,^ 
came on board for us. He is a great friend and warm sup- 
porter of the Presbyterian missionaries. He gave us a hearty 

1 llie Cornioall Chron ide. 



30 



MEMOIE OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



welcome to Jamaica, and a pressing invitation to accompany 
him to his house, and there remain till Mr. Waddell should 
be sent for to take us to CornwalL I need not say how 
thankful we were for the kind invitation ; how gladly we 
embraced it ; how much of God's goodness we saw in it. 
When we felt strange and lonely, He sent us this friend who 
cheered us by his many kind attentions." 

^' January 2?>d. — Mr. Waddell arrived at an early hour, most 
happy to see us, and expressed the fears which they had felt 
regarding our safety. We reached Cornwall about seven p.m. 
A number of negroes, who were waiting our arrival, flocked 
around, and gave us a welcome. ' Good massa, we glad to see 
you ; good massa.' After dinner there was a temperance meet- 
ing. Mr. Waddell apologized for the delay of an hour, caused 
by his having to go to Montego Bay to bring the new minister. 
They with one voice replied, ' Quite good, massa, we thankful 
for the delay.' This was the first meeting of negroes I have 
attended ; and I cannot describe my feelings, on seeing so many 
sable countenances, bearing upon them the impress of the highest 
interest in what was going on. At the conclusion, all shook 
hands with the strangers, repeating their former expressions of 
kindness, their whole appearance testifying the sincerity of their 
words." 

''^January 2Ath, — I examined the children, and was surprised 
and delighted to find how accurately they answered the questions 
put to them. Mrs. Jameson also examined them by herself, 
and came in, also surprised and delighted with their progress. 
The teacher is a young female, taught and trained for the work 
by Mrs. Waddell. Mrs. Jameson noted one little girl, about 
four years old, who read the New Testament with ease and 
fluency. It is truly delightful to see them permitted to attend 
school ; and, more particularly, to see so much progress among 
persons who have been declared, a thousand times over, to be 
as unfit to learn as the brutes. Why should we not indulge the 
hope that, ere long, under the benign influence of the Spirit of 
God, through the feeble instrumentality of his servants, know- 
ledge shall bless this people, and holiness shall adorn them !'* 



JAMAICA. 



31 



January ?>\st — Took farewell of Mr. Waddell, and went to 
visit Mr. Blyth at Hampden. Here everything goes on most 
prosperously. The congregation is large ; and there are 200 
at school The teacher is Mr. Drummond, from Stirling, sent 
out by the proprietor of Hampden.^ He is well qualified for, 
and most diligent in his work. His leisure time he spends 
among the people, taking part with them in their prayer-meet- 
ings, and in every way striving to lead them forward. Had vre 
many such persons, they would greatly strengthen our hands. 
Care should be taken to send men of approved piety and pru- 
dence ; for truly, in this country, we may be said to be as a 
city set upon a hill, seen and watched by all." 

Sabbath^ February oth. — Preached, at Lucea, to 500 or 600 
interesting people. They were longing much for the return of 
Mr. Watson, and were greatly delighted when I told them that 
he would be among them so soon. We commenced the work 
of the Sabbath at six a.m., and finished at five p.m. Some of 
the Green Island people were there to welcome me as the mis- 
sionary sent out expressly for them. I was exceedingly grieved 
to find them so misinformed. I told them that I had not been 
appointed to occupy Green Island, or any other place ; but was 
to follow the way marked out by my Divine Master. That this 
matter had been left to myself and to the Presbytery now formed 
in the country ; that the claims of Green Island had been laid 
before me, together with those of Goshen ; and that, after 
calm and prayerful consideration, and consultation with my 
brethren, I had come to the conclusion that Goshen was the 
sphere of labour to which I was called. The people were much 
disappointed, and clung to me as if they would not let me go. 
They crowded the vestry-room, entreating, and urging me ; and 
followed me when I went to visit a sick person. I w^as moved ; 
but duty evidently pointed me elsewhere ; and I could not set 
aside the resolution so recently and solemnly formed. They 
resolved, ere I left them, to lay their case before the Church at 
home, and to make an appeal to the preachers. I encouraged 
them to do so, as it might, under God, be the means of deepen- 

1 A Stirling, Esq. of Keir. 



32 



MEMOIR OF REY. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



ing tlie Church's interest in the work of mercy in this land. 
When this appeal is published, let every one know that it comes, 
not from the missionaries, wanting help, but from the people 
themselves, desiring the knowledge of Jesus Christ. It is the 
bleating of the flock for the green pastures and the life-giving 
streams of gospel ordinances. Ifc is the cry of the poor and 
needy, the ardent desire of longing souls ; and the servant of 
Jesus who shuts his heart against such an appeal, shows little 
of the spirit of his blessed Master." 

Sabbath, February 12th. — Preached to-day to a full and 
most attentive congregation at Hampden; and addressed the 
Sabbath scholars, in number about 500." 

Monday, 13th. — We took leave of our kind friends at 
Hampden, and set out on our journey to Carron Hall, about 
100 miles distant : our conveyance a gig, and our guide a 
black man, leading three horses for change, all being necessary 
on account of the wild and rugged nature of the roads, and 
the fatigue of travelling in a tropical climate. We passed the 
first night at the house of Mr. Naight, a fellow-passenger, who 
offered ground for a church and house, and every encouragement 
if I would settle on a property belonging to him in the moun- 
tains of St. Ann's, one of the most healthy and delightful parishes 
in Jamaica, where the people have no instructor. It is with 
sorrow that we turn from these calls. 

''After a fatiguing journey, passing the night of the 14th 
at Drexhall, we reached Goshen at five p.m. on the 15th, where 
we met Mr. Simpson, who came to welcome us' to our sphere 
of labour. The attorney, Mr. Geddes, was from home, but 
we saw him the following day, when he promised to do all he 
could to further the mission. 

On Thursday, the 16th, we reached Carron Hall, and 
received a joyous welcome from Mr. and Mrs. Cowan, and from 
all the people. One negro said that Mr. Paterson, when last 
here, had prayed much that God would send another labourer 
to this quarter, and God has heard his prayers. The labours 
of our brethren in this quarter are as abundant and successful 
as those in the west.". 



GOSHEN. 



33 



Turning from other fields, " white unto the harvest," with 
all the sorrow felt by the faithful servant of God, who has to 
say " No" to the call of souls hungering for the bread of life, Mr. 
Jameson chose to pitch his tent at Goshen. In the circum- 
stances by which he was led thither he saw a manifest answer 
to all his own prayers, and to those of his friends. Messrs. 
Simpson and Cowan had extended their labours to Goshen, often 
preaching there, and encouraging the people to pray and look for 
a servant of Jesus to come and live among them. The time for 
favour had arrived, and the servant of the Lord came in the 
spirit of his Master, and in the fulness of the blessing of the 
gospel of Christ. True in his case were the words of the prophet : 
" How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who 
bring glad tidings !" 

In 1837, the people were still apprentices on the properties 
to which they had belonged before emancipation. Goshen had 
as many as 500 apprentices, the most of whom were living in 
the estate's village, half-way between the missionary's resi- 
dence. Lucky Hill Pen, and the place of worship. Two other 
estates, belonging to the same proprietors, lay on either 
side, Goshen being in the midst ; and the three together 
covered a surface as large as a Scotch parish. About twenty 
years before Mr. Jameson went there, these Trinity estates, as 
they were called, had together 1000 slaves. Besides these, 
there were in Bagnold's Yale, through which flows the stream 
called the Eio Nuevo, several properties with gangs of appren- 
tices, all within the missionary's reach. He calculated that 
there were about 6000 or 7000 people in the whole district, 
with scarcely the means of salvation, so that gross darkness 
covered the people, and brutish depravity sunk them." One of 
the old proprietors of Goshen, Mr. Lang, who seems to have 
been a superior man, and who must have been under better in- 
fluences than those of slavery, had sought the spiritual good of 
his slaves. He had fitted up a place of worship, and several 
Episcopalian ministers in succession had held service there. He 
also encouraged marriage among his people, and made a distinc • 
tion between the married and those who lived only in concu- 

c 



34 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



binage, by seating them separately in tlie little chapel. But 
Mr. Lang seems to have been unfortunate in his subordinates ; 
the estates passed into other hands, and an attorney who loved 
the darkness rather than the light, demolished the fittings of 
the chapel, and forbade the assembling of the people for religi- 
ous purposes. 

Many years before the period referred to, several Baptists — 
men of colour — crossed over from America to Jamaica, and in- 
troduced the gospel among the slaves in many parts of the 
island. One of these, Moses Baker, laboured about Trelawny ] 
and another, Mr. Gibb, laboured in St. Mary's and neighbour- 
ing parishes. Mr. Jameson writes of them thus : — ^' They were, 
I believe, sincere and zealous men ; but their knowledge of 
Christianity was most imperfect, and their minds were filled 
with the most absurd superstitions." They held night meetings 
among the slaves, instructed them according to their notions of 
truth, and immersed those whom they approved. Mr. Gibb 
extended his labours to Goshen, where he had many followers. 
The first thing he did was to ^'set them off to pray." He 
taught them some words of prayer ; appointed an influential 
slave as his leader on the estate ; and told the people that if 
they saw anything in their sleep they must tell it to the leader. 
If they dreamed, they had the spirit, and the leader would 
say, " Praise on, boy ; bright follower, you will soon be fittin' 
to be baptized." If the inquirer had no dream, he was told 
that he was neglecting prayer. Mr. Gibb said that they must 
seek their dreams in the wilderness, that was, in the woods. 
Many did so. They slept under the trees, night after night, 
sometimes for months, praying and waiting for the coveted 
dream. One of Mr. Gibb's converts told that, having one 
night prayed under the shade of an orange tree, he . thought 
his head grew bigger than his body. He ran home in terror. 
Having told his " work " to the leader, the leader reported it 
to Gibb ; and, on the following Sabbath, the fortunate dreamer 
was baptized in the White River. Another once told the writer 
that he slept and prayed in the bush three months, till one 
night he dreamed that he was sitting under a tree with a 



AMEPaCAN BAPTISTS. 



35 



loaded basket at his feet, and that a white man came up and 
told him to lift the basket and follow. He followed till they 
came to a " sink hole and his guide told him to throw his 
basket into the hole. This dream was considered satisfactory. 
The load was his sins ; the white stranger was the Saviour ; 
and the throwing of his load into the hole indicated the pardon 
of his sins. He was "fittin'/' and was accordingly baptized. 
They kept fast on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday ; on which 
days they ate nothing till four o'clock p.m. After four o'clock, 
when they left off work, they washed their faces, sucked an 
orange or any other fruit, boiled coffee, roasted plantain, or 
prepared any other food they had, and went to the house of 
the leader to "broke piece." When they were eating, every 
one shut his eyes and pressed them hard, and if he then sav*^ 
anything like fire, he rose up and told the leader. The leader 
would say, " Fight on, boy, you do well." After eating, 
they drank their tea or coffee out of white cups. At this meet- 
ing they sat up late ; and on Saturdays frequently till day 
break on Sabbath morning. 

Such were the puerilities and superstitions which were mixed 
up with the religion of heaven among the slaves in some parts 
of Jamaica. We may hope, yea, believe, that they learned 
such an amount of the truth as it is in Jesus that not a few 
were saved. But the seed thus sown did not fail, and does 
not fail at this day to bear much evil fruit. The leaders were 
of necessity nearly or quite as ignorant as the rest ; and they 
were sometimes as immoral as they had been before assumir.g 
the office. But, as they acquired considerable influence among 
the slaves, and as the advent of better instructors endangered 
their craft, they were not always favourably disposed to any 
movement which threatened to ignore or depose them. Mr. 
Jameson writes, at a later date, " There is the most abundant 
proof that the influence which the leaders exerted over the 
people was not unfrequently employed to effect the most abo- 
minable purposes. Seduction and avarice are sius too common 
in the history of Leaderism. Such is the fruit of a native 
agency imperfectly instructed. I might mention also some of 



36 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



the opinioBS circulated througli this agency. That the Book 
(the Bible) is for Backra (white man), but God has given the 
dream to the negro, and it is a better guide than the Book for 
him. That John the Baptist is greater than Jesus Christ, 
for he baptized Christ. Hence, long after I came to Goshen, 
every such person whom I met said that he belonged to John 
the Baptist's religion. Another frightful notion prevails, 
namely, that Jesus Christ had sm before he was baptized, but 
his sin was taken away by his baptism. Hence the very com- 
mon opinion among the negroes that the * dip,' as they them- 
selves call it, is necessary to take away sin." Notions of an 
equally absurd kind, equally inexcusable, too, as existing in 
a country where the Word of God was accessible, although few 
of the class referred to could read it, prevailed upon other im- 
portant spiritual questions. 

Moravian, Wesleyan, and Baptist missionaries had long 
laboured in Jamaica, but, from the jealousy and enmity of 
the bulk of the planters, they were denied free access to the 
slave population on the estates. A few proprietors sought 
instruction for their slaves, and even helped to sustain the 
missionaries, but these were few in comparison with those 
who set their faces as flint against the slightest interference 
with the negroes. Some knowledge of divine things spread 
to places where no missionary lived, and a desire was felt for 
more. On Sabbaths slaves used to steal away in their work- 
ing clothes from the estates' negro villages, to go to church, 
carrying clean suits in their baskets to put on, ere they reached 
the place of meeting, lest, if they set out dressed, they might 
be seen and hindered. Some, also, walked or rode ten or 
twenty miles on Saturday night, and returned on Sabbath 
night, in time for the crack of the driver's whip which sum- 
moned them to work on Monday morning. Even before Mr. 
Jameson's arrival, there was a little knot of praying people 
on one of the Trinity estates, who used to hold their meetings 
at night. On these occasions, if there was any brother pre- 
sent from a place of greater spiritual privilege, his instruc- 
tions were welcomed as a contribution to their little stock of 



EELIGIOX UXDEE DIFFICULTIES. 



37 



Christian ideas. Their overseer did not like prayer work, and 
thought that he had a right to stop it. He felt as did a brother 
overseer, when Joseph Wilson, one of the present pillars of 
the chiu'ch at Goshen, got married in a Christian \yay. The 
overseer himself was living in concubinage, and the marriage 
of Joseph sounded in his ears like a rebuke. Poor man 1 he 
was veiy savage, and told Joseph that the slave should not 
go before the master ; and, he supposed, Joseph would now 
begin to pray too. 

The little meeting referred to was hateful to the overseer. 
He caused their little meeting -house, which they had made 
themselves, to be pulled down. They restored it. He again 
caused it to be demolished. One of the praying people, who 
afterwards became a member of the church, was once flogged 
for keeping up the meeting ; and, on one occasion, the meet- 
ing was surprised by the relentless Busha and his bookkeepers, 
who locked up all present for the night. 

With the exception of the little light which thus had 
reached the people of that district, all was darkness, igno- 
rance, and superstition. The writer remembers the animated 
description given of their state by a female who had been 
brought to the knowledge of the Saviour, under Mr. Jameson's 
ministry : — We were a wild people. Mr. Jameson found 
we wandering and stumbling among crags and gullies in the 
woods, blind, and with no man to care for we souls ; and 
he brought we into the light." His arrival was like life from 
the dead. His amiability, his kindness, his devotedness to 
the Lord's work among them, and the kindly interest which 
he took in their welfare, soon made way for him into every 
heart. It is refreshing to hear the few survivors of, those 
times speak of them as with the fresh recollections of yester- 
day, while the tearful eye bears testimony to the sincerity 
and depth of the feelings which are thus aroused. They re- 
ceived the missionary as a gift from the Lord, and, to use the 
words of his venerable father, they had no cause to regret the 
receiving. 

Lucky Hill Pen House, which the proprietors had granted 



38 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



to Mr. Jameson as a place of residence, needed much repair, 
and Mr. and Mrs. Jameson were therefore welcomed to make 
their abode, for a time, under the hospitable roof of Mr. and 
Mrs. Cowan, at Carron Hall. Seven months passed before 
these repairs were made, and great fatigue was thus caused in 
going to and fro ; while the missionary's labours among the 
people were interrupted by his having to live ten miles distant 
from them. 

An extract from a letter to the late Mr. Bryden, who was 
then the Treasurer of the Ro^e Street Missionary Association, 
a man of genuinely missionary spirit, of date 9 th March 1837, 
will carry the reader, in spirit, to the opening scene of Mr. 
Jameson's labours. 

" The field w^hich I have chosen is very populous. There 
is a population of about 6000, of whom scarcely any are 
within the sound of the gospel. I commenced my labours 
among them, on Sabbath, 26th. February. Mr. Cowan ac- 
companied me. He preached in the forenoon and I in the 
afternoon. Our place of w^orship was a boiling-house, wdiich 
was put at our disposal by Mr. Geddes, the attorney. It Avas 
the largest audience ever seen at that place. Many had to 
stand without, at the doors and w^indows. There were about 
500 present. Many came from Carron Hall, a distance of 
14 or lo miles, and a number of our own countrymen were 
with us. I told them that a congregation in the far distant 
land from which I had come, were anxious that they should 
make a right use of the liberty which Providence had now 
given them ; and, also, that they should enjoy the more 
glorious freedom of the children of God, and for this purpose 
they had sent me to preach among them the unsearchable 
riches of Christ. For this great and important end had I 
come, and, in carrying it into effect, I was ready to spend and 
be spent. As I spoke they listened with much apparent 
earnestness and delight, and, at the conclusion, they came 
around me saying, ' Thank you, massa, good massa ; w^e soon 
be able to read good book, now since minister come.' One 
old man, w^hen he heard that a minister was come to labour at 



FIRST SABBATH. 



39 



Goshen, left Mr. Simpson, who had told him, and his neigh- 
bours, and, going to the side of the field, in prayer returned 
thanks to God. I hope God has heard your prayers in my 
behalf, and opened a door of entrance : for at present, at 
least, I seem to have come with the concurrence not only of 
the negroes, but of the white population — the one party 
desirous of being instructed j the other, of affording them 
instruction. 

" Although such be the field in its present aspect, yet there 
will be many difficulties to contend with, which we have not 
begun fully to feel, inasmuch as we have not entered fully on 
our labours. Hitherto our home has been with our brethren, 
whose kindness has almost made us forget that we are strangers 
in a strange land. It is truly gratifying to see how unwearied 
are their labours, and how great their success. Their congre- 
gations and schools are flourishing ; and the confidence which 
the people repose in them is entire. This arises from their 
integrity, from their maintaining strict discipline, and from 
demonstrating, by their whole procedure, that they have but 
one object at heart — the spiritual, temporal, and eternal wel- 
fare of their fellow-men. You have only to see what they 
have done, and are doing, to feel convinced that they have 
been misrepresented and calumniated. I speak advisedly, 
when I say that if anything is being done for the advancement 
of this people, they are doing it." 

While sitting in the beautifully situated " great house " of Go- 
shen, on the Sabbath evening, after the interesting services of the 
day, he writes in his journal : — Sabbath evening is calm and 
serene. The vale below and the hills around covered with ver- 
dure, fields of cane waving in the breeze, the scented gale from 
the groves of pimento revive the spirits ; and the browsing of 
the herds on every side tells of plenty and of peace. All 
nature seems to enjoy the Sabbath. But man, the very crea- 
ture for whom it was principally intended, knows not its rest, 
cares not for its enjoyment. Here is a group around the grind- 
stone, sharpening their tools for to-morrow's w^ork ; there, a 
number of persons around a pool, washing clothes ; while 



40 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



others are coming from their provision-grounds with baskets of 
fruit and provisions on their heads. How great the difference 
between this district and those others where missionaries have 
been labouring for some time ! 0 Lord ! give us also grace to 
labour, so that the wilderness and the solitary place shall be 
glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the 
rose." 

Mr. Jameson states in his journal that on Saturday, 4th 
March, he rode again to Goshen, inviting persons by the way 
to come to the boiling-house on the following day. All seemed 
pleased to be invited ; and on Sabbath (the 5th) the meet- 
ing was again crowded. Having preached in the forenoon, he 
intimated that he would go over the same subject in the after- 
noon, and make it simple, so that all might understand it. 
The house was more crowded in the afternoon than before, 
when Mr. Jameson went over the forenoon's discourse, in the 
way of question and answer, and found that indeed there was 
much need for such an exercise. 

" Monday, 6th. — Called at an estate on the way to Carron 
Hall ; met the negroes in the middle of the day ; explained to 
them the object of my mission, and expressed the hope that 
since I had come so far to tell them of Christ and mercy, they 
would come and hear what I had to say on this all-important 
subject. Called at another estate, and was kindly received by 
the owner. On my saying that I was anxious to see the 
negroes, if it were convenient, to invite them to come to Go- 
shen, he immediately sent to the field, and called them to 
assemble at the door of his house, where I addressed them 
shortly. I returned home with a heart full of gratitude to God 
for so many manifestations of his power and goodness. In all 
the ways in which he was leading me I saw him to be a prayer- 
hearing and a prayer-answering God. 

On my arrival, my joy was turned into grief, and my heart 
overwhelmed, by letters from home, announcing the death of 
my beloved father. I would be silent, 0 Lord ! for this stroke 
is thine. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ hath 
done it ; therefore it is well. It is well for the dead. 0 



HIS FATHEPv's DEATH. 



41 



tliat it may be well for his bereaved cliilclreu, for the people who 
weie his charge, and for the church of the living God ! How 
uncertain our time ! How evanescent the world's good ! 0 
Lord I we claim thee as our portion, and thy favour as our 
life. From the willows we take our harp, and go forward 
still praising thee. We rise from our sorrows to engage in thy 
work, with more singleness of heart, and with more unwearied 
activity ; that, at last, with our fatliers, we may enter into 
the rest which God hath prepared for the faithful.'' 

Wnile the missionary voyagers were looking at their Deseada 
— the desired land — in the West, the ripened saint at Methven 
came '.n sight of his desired haven. The messenger of peace" 
entered the circle once more. He came to call away the pa- 
triarch of the household and the pastor of the flock. There 
have indeed been cases in which good men have fallen asleep 
very gently, and smiled so sweetly in death's fa^e, that the 
smile seemed to disarm the tyrant. So did the great Chal- 
mers ; so did the less known, but as good, and scarcely less 
gifted, Jf.meson of Methven. These men died in a moment, 
and with no apparent pain, and with a celestial expression on 
their facei."^ 

A letter addressed to his brothers and sisters, 21st March 
1838, shovs a remarkable depth of piety and affection. As 
we gaze oi the missionar}^ far from the mourners at home, 
while he aternately prays, and weeps, and smilts through his 
tears, we see an instance of simple faith in, and cheerful sub- 
mission to, God, which we should seek to copy when the bitter 
cup is put to our lips. 

*^A11 the circumstances connected with this most heart- 
rending bereav^^ment, even the most minute, we expect from 
you, and look ior with the most intense anxiety every day. 
All that we knov is, that on the 1 3th January our father came 
in from A^isiting the sick, went up to his room, and, at two 
o'clock, was founc sleeping in Jesus. Oh, my dear sisters and 
brothers, Xicolis and I feel deeply with you all our common 
loss. The stroke *^ heav}', very heavy indeed 1 We are like 



1 Rev. George Gilfillan, AIpM and Omega, vol. i. p. 239. 




42 



ME?.iOIR OF EEV. AVILLIAM JAMESON. 



to siuk under it. We are like those who dreamed, as if we 
had been suddenly awaked from a state of lethargy. Our 
father dead ! lying yonder in the lonely grave ! to see him no 
more, to hear him no more ; his pulpit empty, his study 
empty ! Oh, it is difficult to believe it ! I weep not for 
him. No, he is happy ; home to his Father's house ; entered 
into rest ; the work which his Father had given him to do 
being performed and accepted. He is now associated wita the 
happy company around the throne ] with our dear mother ; 
with his fathers and our fathers ; and with all the spirits of 
the just made perfect ; with angels who, as he sometimes told 
me, suggested to him, in his happiest moments, those lofty 
thoughts, and new and interesting views of Scripture foi which 
he was so remarkable. Above all, he is with Christ, in the 
presence of God, with whom he walked so closely, wQom he 
served so cheerfully, and before whose throne he knaeled so 
frequently in this world below. He is removed from many 
evils which I fear are coming, and which might have proved 
too much for his fine feelings, and his high and sanctified 
spirit, — removed to a world free from them all, wLere there 
are joy and gladness without alloy, and where sorrow and sigh- 
ing have for ever fled away. Weep for him ? Oh, no ! 
Dearest children, with myself, of our dear departed father, not 
at all. Our tears shall never flow from a heart fretful and re- 
pining against God for this heavy blow. No ; as our beloved 
father used to say, we shall subscribe this heart-rending dispen- 
sation, like the Psalmist, with ' Blessed God though thou hast 
laid upon us a heavy hand, j^et, 0 Lord, thou art our God after 
all ] yea, after all this, and ten thousand times more, thou art 
in thyself, and in all that thou doest, most bbssed. Neither 
shall our tears flow from a heart grudging our father the 
glories upon which he has entered ; nor shall ^^hey ever be shed 
as expressive of a desire that he should returr to us. Ah, no ! 
we rather hail his glorified spirit ; we envj its perfect happi- 
ness ; we long to be partakers of its blessedness. But I weep, 
and how can I refrain 1 for the strongest cord of my soul has 
been rent asunder in a moment, and witliout the least warn- 



WOEDS OF COMFORT. 



43 



ing, so that the whole man bends, and is like to sink under 
the stroke. But, God of my father and his father, and my 
chosen God, I look to thee. 

" But, my dear sisters, I weep for you. Our beloved father 
lived in your hearts. You anticipated, when I left you, many 
happy days with him. But, alas ! soon have all your hopes 
been dashed to the ground. Let me counsel you, oh let me 
entreat you, to bridle your grief. Sin not in your sorrow. 
Be still, and know that this is God, the God of our Lord and 
Saviour Jesus Christ, who spared not his own Son, but gave 
him up to death for us all. Such a God can do you no wrong. 
The blow is severe, but he will bear you up ; your hearts are 
torn, hut he will heal them ; you feel forlorn and desolate, but 
he will be an inmate of your home — your God, your Father, 
your support, your counsellor, and your friend. Futurity is 
dark, and fills you with many fears, but the same God who has 
led our beloved father and our father's fathers, and w^ho has led 
us until now, says, ' Fear not, for I am vrith you ' (Is. xli. i 0 ; 
xliii. 2). You have now a claim upon this gracious God which 
you never had before ; you are fatherless, and saith God ex- 
pressly, ^ He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless' (Deut. 
X. 18). 'Thou art the helper of the fatherless' (Ps. x. 14). 
' The judge of the fatherless' (Ps. x. 1 8). ' Leave thy fatherless 
children, I will preserve them alive' (Jer. xlix. 11). And truly 
we have all been left on the Lord. You have the highest 
reason to expect the gracious fulfilment of these promises, 
for ye are the children of his servant ; nay, of his servants 
for many generations. Hence, Ps. cii. 28," 



44 



MEiMOm OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



CHAPTER III. 

Mode and spirit of mission work — Pembroke Hall — Need of education — A 
proi^hetess — Visit to Kingston — Shed for meeting — The missionary calumniated 
--The shed opened— Birth of first-born— Godless Europeans, missionaries of the 
devil— Liberated Africans— Take up houso Lt Lucky Hill Pen— The Lord's table 
in a foreign land— Jamaica fog, and mortality among Europeans — Soul renewed 
—How far is the negro intellect inferior? — Scotch immigrants. 

Befop.e proceeding with the interesting narrative of a ten 
years' missionary ministry, we shall give, in Mr. Jameson s 
words, a comprehensive view of the manner in which he and 
his brother missionaries sought to do their work. 

It is manifest that the first and great duty of the mis- 
sionary of Jesus is to form a taste among the people for the 
pure and simple gospel. And this is to be done, not by 
attacking their favourite notions, or scattering anathemas 
against particular sins. Darkness is dispelled by the infusion 
of light, and error uprooted by the statement of simple truth. 
The cross of Christ rectifies all that is wrong in man's heart 
and life, sooner and better far than ten thousand times ten 
thousand arguments. How, then, do we proceed in forming 
and fostering a taste for the pure gospel 1 How ! but as the 
Apostle of the Gentiles : • I am determined to know nothing 
among you, but Jesus Christ and him crucified.' We bring 
before their minds the fact that they are ' children of wrath ; * 
that, through the love of God, every believer in Jesus Christ, 
the Redeemer, is saved ; that the difficulty of believing in 
and obeying Jesus Christ arises from the wickedness of tlie 
heart ; that the Spirit of God alone can rectify this ; and 
that holiness of life is the proof that he lias done so, in any 
particular case. By our conduct we seek to show that we be- 
lieve what we preach, and that we earnestly desire their sal- 



EMANCIPATION". 



45 



vation. We strive to labour ' in season, out of season,' by 
preaching, by Sabbath and day schools, by visiting families and 
the sick, by keeping a strict watch over the conduct of our 
people, and by much prayer with and for them. Through 
the blessing of God, we have seen the happiest results follow 
such a course ; prejudices uprooted ; jealousies destroyed ; 
confidence restored : soul-destroyirjg systems scattered to the 
winds ; a taste for the simple gospel formed : and a song 
of thanksgi^'ing bursting from the hearts of a willing people 
to the God of salvation, for his loving-kinduess and tender 
mercy." 

The era of emancipation is a memorable one. Such imperial 
munificence in Christian Britain ! such a proof of the reality 
and the vigour of her piety to God, and of her love to man ! 
such munificence to the despised negro ! and such generous 
consideration of those who were, many of them, perhaps un- 
willingly, in the position of slaveholders ! — a name of evil 
sound, of which an honest man of free British birth, and of 
Christian name, m.ust surely feel ashamed ! 

Depend upon it, there was a memorable work of grace, too, 
among the emancipated themselves. God saved the sons of 
Israel from Egypt, that lie might give them his own laws 
and oracles. And while he gave civil freedom to nearly a 
million of the children of Africa, he also moved his people to 
send them the glorious gospel, that they might become free 
citizens, not merely of imperial Britain, but of the kingdom 
of heaven. The missionary went to his work. Both the 
veterans who had toiled amid reproach, before emancipation, 
and those who, at that time, entered the field, shared in the 
elevating influences of the time. And while Britain, impelled 
by high, and holy, and generous motives, paid the costly 
ransom-price, the ministers of Christ were constrained to 
proclaim, widely and unweariedly, his unsearchable riches. 
There can be no doubt that it was a harvest time of immortal 
souls : a kind of first fruits of Ethiopia. And be it so, that 
many who afterwards fell away were received into the 
churches. What wonder was there in that ? And what was 



46 



MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



such cliafF to the precious wheat which was, most undeniably, 
then gathered into the garner of the Lord ^ 

While we record, with admiration, the simple, fervent, and 
unostentatious piety of the subject of this memoir, his hearty 
devotion, and oneness of purpose and of effort, it is not to 
compare him invidiously with other missionaries. God for- 
bid ! The history of that period has yet to be written. But 
were it written ; were a correct picture painted of that scene 
when the representatives of Ethiopia stretched out their hands, 
unmanacled, to God, there would be seen, mingling in the 
very foreground, a band of as devoted missionary brethren as 
ever were sent by the Church into any heathen field. Many 
of them are now praising on high, and praising louder as 
souls pass from our West Indian churches into the church of 
the first-born in heaven. Some of them, unfit to labour more, 
under the sun of the tropics, have bid the sunny isle farewell, 
and are now serving or suffering at home ; and others are 
still where they best like to be — living and preaching Jesus 
in their old accustomed spheres. 

We have accompanied Mr. Jameson on his way to Carron 
Hall, after his second Sabbath's work at Goshen. We have 
seen him rejoicing in the encouragement which the Lord was 
giving him. We see him riding up Hazard Hill, or by 
Windsor Castle, from Bagnold's Vale to Carron Hall, his and 
his partner's present home. There is time to look back and 
praise, to look forward and pray. We then enter with him 
into the chamber of mourning and of tears, which flow afresh, 
as busy memory recalls the scenes of childhood, youth, and 
opening manhood, in each of which mingles the form of an 
honoured and beloved parent. Only those who have passed 
that way can know the sorrows and the joys, the regrets and 
the pleasures of a Christian pilgrim at such a part of his 
road. We now see him getting meat out of this eater, and 
sweetness out of this strong. Heaven has been brought near ; 
the spirit-world has been vividly realized, and the missionary 
comes forth to his work with a new devotion. 

On Saturday, 11th March, Mr. Jameson went to Goshen, 



PEMBROKE HALL. 



47 



and stopped by the way at the house of a proprietor, John 
Jeffrey, Esq. of Salisbury, examined his apprentices, and was 
happy to find that, through the care and diligence of Mrs. 
Jeffrey, a number of the young people were learning to read. 
This gentleman was most anxious to have a church and school- 
house built, and offered £50 to aid in the work. 

On Sahhath the 1 2th^ the boiling-house of Goshen was again 
crowded with a willing and interested audience. Those who 
came at the hour for classes were examined ; but very few in- 
deed could read intelligently. A psalm was read and sung, but 
their voices had not been accustomed to sing the praises of their 
Maker. He then made them repeat a verse or two of Scripture, 
and catechised them thereon. ^ Line upon line, and precept 
upon precept,' was the missionary's motto from that time 
forward. 

"-Monday, IWi. — Called at Pembroke Hall, an estate not 
before noticed. The overseer stated that the attorney^ vri^hed 
me to come eveiy second Sabbath, and preach at the estate, and 
that he was most willing to aid my plans. I said I should 
most gladly come on the afternoon of every second Sabbath, 
but not the whole day. For the ultimate success of the mission, 
it was necessary to have regular service at some one place, and 
Goshen had been chosen. Pembroke Hall is also a place of 
much importance. It is about five miles from Goshen, and 
embraces a great portion of Bagnold's Yale." 

" Sabbath, 2d April. — After the usual morning's and fore- 
noon's services at Goshen, I went in the afternoon to Pembroke 
Hall. The meeting was crowded, and as attentive and inter- 
ested as formerly. At the close, about 300 remained, at my 
request, as I wished to know who could read. I asked those 
who could read to be so good as stand up. After a pause, the 
request was repeated. At last one stood up and said, 'Massa, 
me the only one who can read ! ' I was much affected at the 
thought. Alas ! gross darkness covers the people. Arise ! 0 
San of Righteousness, arise ! and, with the brightness of thy 

1 The overseer — in Anglo-Etliiopic, " obusha," contracted "biisha," — has charge 
of the estate, and is acconntabie to the attorney, who is the agent of the absent 
proprietor. 



48 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



light, chase this long and dreary night for ever away ! This 
man said that he was trying to teach some others to read. At 
my request to see his pupils, about forty or fifty came forward, 
old grey-headed men and children, some with their spelling- 
books, and one with a Testament. I was much pleased to see 
the progress which some of them had made." 

" Sabbath, 1 ^th. — Exchanged with Mr. Simpson. The con- 
gregation at Port Maria is numerous, and the Sabbath-school is 
large. The church is plain and commodious. I attended a 
private meeting of the members, when I had an opportunity of 
entering freely into conversation with them. Here there is 
much fruit of the labours of Mr. Simpson, and of his predeces- 
sor, Mr. Chamberlain. ^ One lady of colour told me that she 
had long lived in the sinful ways of the country, but God, 
through the labours of these devoted servants, had found her 
out. In the afternoon, I addressed the prisoners in the work- 
house. At the close, I told them that I had lately come from 
Scotland ; that the people there were very sorry when freedom 
was thus abused, and very happy when a good use was made of 
it. The negroes are always delighted to hear of the interest 
taken in them by people at home. At the conclusion, a prisoner 
came with his book, and begged a lesson. He is an interesting 
person, always carries his book in his pocket, and, at resting- 
time, may be seen sitting apart from the gang, with his chain 
round his neck and his book in his hand. His sentence is 
perpetual imprisonment ; but, I hope, in this changed state of 
things, it will be mitigated." 

Friday^ '2\st. — On my way between Port Maria and Goshen, 
I visited Mile End, a station formed by Mr. Simpson. Here I 
found a good number of interesting people, thirty or forty 
children taught by a coloured female, and a number of persons 
under training for church membership. As they are twenty 
miles from Port Maria, and only sixfrom Goshen, Mr. Simpson 

1 The Rev. J. Chamberlain was sent to Jamaica by the Scottish Missionary Society. 
He commenced his labours at Port Maria, and, by his genial and kindly manners, 
gained the affections of all classes. He laboured with much zeal and success, be- 
ginning a cause which has been carried on, with equal zeal and success, by his 
successor, the Rev. John Simpson. Mr. Chamberlain died of fever, in the prime of 
life, after a few years of faithful service. 



RELIGIOX OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. 



49 



has put them into my hands. On my way to Goshen, numbers 
of people left their provision grounds, and came towards me. 
One brought in his hand a star apple and gave me. 

" ' Well,' I said, ' you seem to know me.' 

" ' Yes,' they replied, ' we know Massa very welL We see 
you every Sunday at Goshen.' 

" ' Do you attend every Sunday ? ' 

" 'Yes, Massa, every Sunday.' 

" ' Well, I am delighted to hear that. I have come from a 
far country to tell you of Christ, and happy am I that you come 
to hear what I have got to say. Do you come, in the morning, 
to the class 1 ' 

" ' Yes, Massa, w^e want to be able to read God's word.' 

«' I said that I was sorry not to know them better ; but that, 
when our house was repaired, I should live near them, and be 
able to teach them to better purpose. 

" ' Yes, my good Massa, this is what we want very much ; we 
be very glad to come and get lessons and prayers.' 

" * Well, now, I hope you will come always, and give up your 
sins, and pray to God to give you an interest in Jesus Christ, 
that your souls may be saved.' " 

Sahhath, 23d. — Preached at Goshen and Pembroke Hall, 
to crowded meetings. After the forenoon's service, a man 
came forward and said, — 

" ' Sir, I think you said that we ought not to pray to John the 
Baptist. I want your opinion on this subject.' 

' My opinion, then, is that you ought not. You might as 
well pray to me. John the Baptist was but a man, and we 
must pray to none but God. In God you have all you need 
and can desire. John the Baptist can neither hear nor help 
you ; but God is ever with you. He knows your heart, and is 
able to satisfy your desires.' 

This seemed to satisfy him ; he thanked me, and went his 
way. These opinions and practices are the nurslings of igno- 
rance — the offspring of exceedingly crude views of the gospel, 
which increasing light will utterly destroy." 

" Sahhath^ Ith May. — Exchanged with Mr. Cowan. Preached 

D 



50 



MEMOIP. OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



at Carron Hall to a large and attentive audience. The place 
of worship contains about 700, is crowded every Sabbath, and 
many have to stand around the doors. Besides Sabbath-schools 
and evening-meetings, there is a day-school taught by Mrs. 
Cowan, with about seventy pupils. Some are learning geo- 
graphy, grammar, history, and arithmetic ; and, as I have ex- 
amined them frequently, I can bear testimony to the excellent 
understanding which many of them display, and the proficiency 
which they have attained. 

" Our own missionaries, for of them only am I as yet able to 
speak, are in labours most abundant, both ' in season and out 
of season.' They are high in the affections of the people, and 
they enjoy the confidence of many in authority on the estates. 
One overseer told me that Mr. Simpson had done more for his 
negroes than all the magistrates in the island could have done. 
' On coming to tlie estate,' he said, ' I found the negroes in a 
state of insubordination ; work they would not, even for mone}^ 
I asked Mr. Simpson to speak to them, which he did. The 
people, at once, laid aside their hostility, went to their work, 
and, from that day to this, I have had no further trouble with 
them.' An attorney has often told me liow strikingly the 
superior training given by the Scotch missionaries appeared at 
the late rebellion.^ Whole districts were in flames, but not 
one estate on which these missionaries laboured was burned. 
Nay, these estates proved barriers to the advancing tide of 
destruction." 

On May 1 6th Mr. Jameson wrote, "On the Sabbath morn- 

On the 15tli April 1831, Mr. Fowell Buxton made one of his telling attacks on 
colonial slavery, in which he showed that while under freedom a negro jiopulation 
increased, under slavery It decreased at a rapid rate. In twenty-three years the 
negro population in the West Indies had diminished by 100,000. The Government 
thought it was time to adopt stronger measures with the planters than mere re- 
commendations to better the condition of their slaves. The planters took fire. In 
Jamaica they behaved and talked like madmen ; and the result of their public 
speeches and private talk was that the slaves became convinced that the king was 
going to give them " the free," and that their masters were to keep it from them. 
They conspired to stop work from Christmas 1831, unless they were paid for their 
labour. This was a bad beginning, and had a worse ending. Scenes of violence 
followed ; sugar- works were burned to ashes ; martial law was proclaimed ; and 
blood was shed. 



NEGROES AT CHUECH. 



51 



ing I am engaged witli a class from nine till ten, teaching to 
read, when there are present fifty or sixty, young and old. 
From ten till eleven I have another class for reading the 
Scriptm-es, when from 200 to 300 are present. From eleven 
till one I preach and have a service, like one at home, with 
this exception, that I am the chief musician as well as the chief 
speaker. In the afternoon, I go over the same ground as in 
the forenoon, adapting the thoughts and language more to the 
negroes. This is necessary, as, in the forenoon, I find it 
of importance to address my discourse to the whites present, if, 
by any means, I may gain them also. It is, indeed, delightful 
to see the interest which the people take in the work, and their 
satisfaction at having a minister of their own. ' l\Iassa, we very 
glad you come ; very glad we get minister ; now we get good.' 
At first, their minds, unaccustomed to analyse, would not work ; 
but now, as you proceed, drawing illustrations from their own 
manners, you see the eye brightening, the swarthy countenance 
beaming satisfaction at understanding what minister says, and 
the head nodding assent. It also strikes a European much to 
see so many black faces in a worshipping assembly. It fiUs 
the soul with emotion to see attention and deepest interest 
looking out of the coimtenance, and portrayed in the diflPerent 
attitudes and motions of the people. Truly, it is Ethiopia stretch- 
ing out her hands to God. In the school, you have a sight no 
less interesting. The grey-headed negro, bending with age, and 
exhausted with toil, coming with his spelling-book and testa- 
ment, to beg a lesson. In the same class you have the boy of 
nine, the youth in the prime of life, and the old man with 
spectacles under his hoary eyebrows, all looking on the sacred 
page with deepest interest, all setting their faces to the 
lesson, determined not to be baffled with its difficulties, now 
reading, now spelling, still persevering. They are not content 
with reading the lesson j they desire to go over it again and 
again, and still they are not satisfied ; they will not stop till 
Massa, as they say, give them the understanding of the lesson. 
A few nights ago, a young man came to the house begging for 
a lesson. Mrs. Jameson heard him read, and, as it was late, 



52 



MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON". 



she thought that he would wish to get home, as he had far to go. 
She rose from the table. He looked at her, and said, ' Please, 
Missis, give me the understanding of my lesson and he stayed 
another half-hour for that purpose. Might we not learn a 
lesson from this !" 

And thus did Mr. Jameson urge on the attention of friends 
how necessary it was that teachers should be sent to divide the 
work with the missionaries in the field. 

"It is cheering to see so many of the negroes so deeply 
anxious to rise above the brutishness which sinks their race. 
It points to the future, and tells us that we shall yet see greater 
things than these. 

Teachers are much needed and desired. Children, freed 
by the Abolition Act, are running wild ; there are few to care 
for them, and fewer still fco train them. Unless they be speedily 
trained to work, and educated, their manhood bodes ill to the 
country. Many proprietors and attorneys are anxious to aid in 
the instruction of the people. The Island Government has 
called the attention of the House of Assembly to this ; and the 
Home Government has given a grant of money to forward it. 
Thus, God is opening up the field ; and everything is in its order. 
He missioned the ministers of reconciliation first, who prepared 
the field for education, and weathered the storm which in con- 
sequence arose. Now, the storm is changed into a calm. It 
is found that education is as necessary for the negro, for the 
master, and for the country, as ignorance and the whip were 
thought necessary before ; and, consequently, the cry from all 
corners of the land is education, schools, teachers. In dif- 
ferent parts of the island schools have been erected by the 
ivlico Institution,^ and by the Government grant. In other 
parts, as among ourselves, the missionary himself teaches, or 
employs a teacher ; and in those places which are too far from 

1 A Lady Mico died in 1710, lea\ang a sum of money to her daughter, on a certain 
condition. The condition was violated, and tlie money went, according to the wiU, 
to ransom Christian slaves in Barbary. In 1827, it had accumulated to £110,000. There 
being then no Christian slaves in Barbary, this money was invested to be employed 
in educating the negroes. The Mico charity now maintains a normal school, in 
which natives are tramed for the work of teaching. 



NEGEOES AT SCHOOL. 



53 



scliool, if a negro be found v^ho can readj he is employed, 
during his leisure time, to teach the others. Thankful we are 
for these beginnings, small though they be. They create an 
ardent longing, and give rise to many an earnest prayer that 
the Lord of the harvest would send out a band of prudent and 
devoted men to this work. At the importance and variety of 
the duties we have to perform, and at the difficulties we have 
to encounter, we sometimes feel appalled. But why this ? Our 
strength lies not in man, in the might of his arm. in the strength 
of his intellect, in his prudence, or his piety. ISo. 0 God, 
our sufficiency is of thee !" 

Writing on this same subject (loth December 1837), Mr. 
Jameson says, " Every day people are bringing their children 
to live, they say, with Massa, and serve him, that he may teach 
them ; but prudence requires that we refuse these oifers, else 
our family would soon be large enough. In the forenoon, Mrs. 
Jameson is occupied in teaching the free children who come to 
the house, and in the evening, both of us, in teaching the ap- 
prentices, who come, after the labours of the day, from the 
estates around. During the week there are three days on 
which I ride out, to visit the estates at a distance. I first 
meet with the free children, and then with the apprentices 
during their hours for resting." 

Looking at the extent of the work, which exceeded the 
powers of one labourer, Mr. Jameson earnestly entreated that 
one labourer more might be sent to bear part of their burden, 
and to share in their joys. ^' I rejoice," he says, that I can 
apply for this assistance to the Church to which I have the 
happiness to belong, which my great-grandfathers were instru- 
mental in founding, where both my grandfathers have laboured, 
and amidst the labours of which my father died ; and I earnestly 
hope that I will not apply in vain." 

On his arrival, Mr. Jameson was led to expect liberal assist- 
ance from the attorney of the Trinity estates, as Messrs. David- 
son, Barkly, and Company, the proprietors, had the furtherance 
of his mission, and the welfare of their apprentices much at 
heart. But circumstances hindered the giving of inmiediate 



54 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESOX. 



help. The house that had been given him as a residence was 
being very slowly repaired ; and it w\as very difficult to obtain 
the labour necessary to erect a shed at a spot half-way between 
Goshen and Pembroke Hall, at which both congregations might 
conveniently meet together. At length, he was forced to take 
this matter entirely into his owm hands. 

He writes, We are left entirely to ourselves. It is better 
that the Church of God should do her own v/ork, and that she 
should be aided by those only who are her own. In this way 
she Aviil preserve her independence. The Church forgets her 
dignity when she becomes a beggar at the doors of tlie wealthy, 
when the love of God and holiness dwell not within." 

But the people for whose use and benefit the shed was to 
be made, were rather unwilling to aid him. They remembered 
that the chapel which Mr. Lang had fitted up for them had been 
destroyed. At length, by paying them for their work at the 
ordinary rates, and stimulating them by his own example, Mr. 
Jameson succeeded. At first, some of the people w^ere disposed 
to regard him as only an agent of the planters, whose influence 
would be against the interests of freedom. But this delusion 
was soon dispelled by his conduct among them, and they came 
to see in him a servant of the Most High God, who showed 
unto them the way of salvation, and not a servant of their mas- 
ters to bring them and their children into new subjection. 

At length, finding it beyond his strength to do his work at 
Goshen, and then, after a ride of six miles, to go through the 
same work at Pembroke Hall, Mr. Jameson resolved to take 
these places on alternate Sabbaths. 

Sabbath, 21st May, was, therefore, spent at Pembroke Hall. 
«^ Two hours in the morning, and in the interval, I heard the 
children read, and catechized them. There were sixty children. 
At the close of the afternoon's service resumed the classes. In 
the evening, the apprentices at Salisbury, where I spent the 
night, came to lessons and to family worship." 

" Monday^ 22d. — Called at an estate where the negroes were 
in a state of insubordination. A young woman there had set 
up for a preacher. She said that she had been in heaven, and 



A PEOPHETESS. 



55 



seen Jesus Christ ; that he had told her that the people were 
free in 1832, and should not work for Massa ; and that she 
was commanded to preach, because the people did not under- 
stand ' backra preachers.' The people, therefore, had refused 
to work, and the magistrate had sent some of them to the work- 
house ; and advised the overseer to get me to speak to them. 
On hearing this, I promised to go the night following at seven 
o'clock." 

" Tuesdai/, 23cZ.— Went, according to agreement, to visit the 
people on the estate referred to. The house was quite full. 
The prophetess, as she called herself, was there. As I began, 
she came forvvard into the middle of the floor, and cried out for 
her guava switches,^ that she might flog either me, or the people, 
or both. I stopped, and told her to sit down, and be quiet. 
As she still persisted in making a noise, I said I should have 
to put her to the door, but would prefer that she should sit 
quietly and hear. She then took her seat, and remained quiet 
till all was over. I told the people that I came there, to-night, 
intending not to take the least notice of this person, for her 
conduct was so extravagant, and her pretensions so absurd, 
that to notice her at all was making too much of her. But, as 
she had thrust herself in my way, I would describe her character 
from the Bible. I told them that her pretensions were false ; 
that what she taught was false ; that her conduct then, and 
before, showed her to be one of those deceivers who turn men 
from Christ, disturb the peace of his Church, and uphold the 
kingdom of darkness. The people listened eagerly, and with 
apparent satisfaction. Such cases, I am sorry to say, are not 
uncommon. The knowledge of the people is scanty, their in- 
tellect is weak and clouded, and their passions are strong, so 
that they become an easy prey to the wicked pretender who 
has a little m.ore cunning than themselves." 

In connexion with this case, Mr. Jameson expresses his 
views, which he ever held very strongly, of the evils caused by 
imperfectly instructed teachers and guides among the black 
people. 

1 Rods of the guava busii. 



56 



MEMOIR OF KEY. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



Speaking of the leaders appointed by tlie American Baptists^ 
and of their successors, he says, " Persons, whose knowledge is 
exceedingly imperfect, set themselves up as leaders^ explain the 
Scriptures, preach to the people, and sit in judgment upon, and 
certify their fitness for baptism, and for admission to the full 
fellowship of the Church. In consequence, these leaders fre- 
quently form a very erroneous estimate of their own capacities ; 
and, aspiring to a higher position, they leave the church to 
which, at first, they belonged, and, carrying their people along 
with them, form congregations of their own. Many congrega- 
tions in this and other parts of the island have been thus 
formed ; and, I fear, it is an evil which will grow. We long 
for the day when persons of African race shall be preachers of 
the gospel. May the day soon come ! But we also desire that 
such preachers may be enlightened and well qualified, in every 
respect." 

Mr. Jameson spent the next Sabbath at Goshen, and also 
the most of the week, endeavouring to push on the erection of 
the meeting-house. The people on the Trinity estates either 
refused to help, or failed to do so when they promised. They 
said that Massa had pulled down their former church, and 
ought, therefore, to give them another. They meant the place 
that had been fitted up by Mr. Lang, and which an attorney 
had demolished. They would not take their ov,^n time to do 
what they considered should be done by the estate. They had 
the ruins of their former place of meeting before their eyes ; 
and their unwillingness to spend labour on another need not 
be wondei'ed at. 

In the second week of June, Mr. Jameson went to Kingston, 
the commercial capital, passing through Spanish Town, the po- 
litical capital of Jamaica. This was a journey of forty miles 
on horseback. He enjoyed the grand and beautiful scenery 
on the way from the north to the south side of the island. 
From the mountains where Carron Hall stands, the traveller 
descends into St. Thomas in the Yale, which is a hollow, being, 
in fact, a basin with several outlets to the south. Through 
one of these — the Bog Walk, a magnificent pass of about seven 



DAY DAWNING. 



57 



miles long — lies the road to Sxjanisli Town. The Kio Cobre, 
Copper Ei^er, flows through it, and the road winds along the 
edge of the stream. 

The next entry shows that the damp vrhich fell on the mis- 
sionary's spirit, through the backwardness of those who ought 
to have helped him, was clearing off. The people had come to 
a better mind. The Lord had answered the prayers of his 
servants. 

Sabbath, 18th June. — Preached at Goshen. The boiling- 
house was full, as usual. There were fifty or sixty young 
people, eager to read their lessons. Heard some in the morn- 
ing, some during the interval, and some in the afternoon. 
' Massa, we much need of you. We hope you stay with us. 
We went to the church yesterday, and put on all the thatch we 
could get ; and if you get more we will put it on.' One ex- 
pressed his anxiety that I should come to his neighbourhood at 
night, to read and pray with them. A young man asked me 
to christen his child. I told him that I could not do so, 
without first ascertaining the knowledge and piety of the 
parent. Another, who had given me his name to proclaim for 
marriage, came to tell me that, as I did not belong to the holy 
Catholic Church, I could not marry him ^ good.' The holy 
Catholic Church I found, on inquiry, to be the Established 
Church. I explained to the people how matters stood. True, 
I did not belong to the Established Church. But that Church 
is no more the holy Catholic Church than mine is. The 
holy Catholic Church is the whole Church of Jesus Christ, and 
all belong to it who preach the doctrines of Christ, and in 
whose hearts these doctrines exercise a purifying influence. I 
do not read a prayer when I marry, but I sai/ sl prayer. I do 
not marry you out of the prayer-book, but bring the Bible and 
show you marriage as contained in it. Now, will any of you 
say that my marrying is less holy, because I do not read a 
prayer, and because I do not use a prayer-book, but pray as 
the Holy Spirit dictates, and marry you from the Bible ? ' No, 
Massa,' they replied. By this time, the poor man came weep- 
ing, saying that he wished me to marry him ; that he had every 



58 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



confidence in me ; and he and his wife were to place them- 
selves under my ministry." 

Sahhath^ 2d July. — Had an opportunity of observing the 
Lord's Supper, at Carron Hall, for the first time in this dis- 
tant land. 104 persons sat down at the feast of mercy. • The 
whole were at one table, and the services were conducted as at 
home. Altogether^ the scene was most impressive and cheering. 
Truly, Ethiopia is stretching out her hands to G-od. Some of 
the members of Port Maria church were there, and one of 
them handed me a collection which the congregation there 
had made to aid in erecting the church at Groshen." 

" On Friday^ 1th July^ went to Goshen, and hired a num- 
ber of people to gather cane tops to thatch the shed. At 
six A.M. on Saturday, there were thirty-four people in the field. 
By twelve o'clock, all the tops in the field were carried to the 
place. As they had refused before to work, I felt it necessary 
to show, by paying them for their labour, that the Church of 
Christ has resources within itself ; and that to gain its ob- 
ject it will spare no expense, and be baffled by no opposition. 
Having given them the message of reconciliation, it will also 
give them a house in which to proclaim it. There has been 
a great outcry because of the wasteful expenditure of money 
in Jamaica. But those who have to face the heavy and ever 
recurring expenses connected with an infant church, in a 
foreign and expensive land, and who know that these ex- 
penses must be met, or their credit fails, and their usefulness 
is destroyed, know that this expenditure, though great, is not 
wasteful." 

" Sabbath, 9 th. — Preached at Goshen. The day was wet, 
with thunder and lightning. An earthquake shook the earth 
and our hearts. At the end, a man came saying, ' Massa, me 
very hungry for provision.^ I thought that his provision 
ground had failed, and proceeded to make some remarks, 
when he corrected me, saying that he had been hungry for 
the Word of God." 

On July 17th, Mr. Jameson wrote to Mr. M'Gilchrist : — 
" The church is a shed 50 feet by 35. Posts driven into 



THE 3iISSI0XAEY SLANDEEED. 



59 



the ground, in all tlie rougliness of nature, support a roof of 
materials equally rude, and this is thickly thatched with cane 
tops. All we desire is a house in which to worship God, 
without exposure to sun, or wind, or rain. Y^e look to God 
for this, and we believe that He will provide. 

The Port Maria congregation gave me a collection. Carron 
Hall has promised me another ; and with money thus raised, 
we have got the roof nearly thatched. 

Our own house is not yet repaired ; and our things are 
lying here and there, as they were packed in Edinburgh. I 
am chiefly grieved, because I cannot follow any regular system 
of work. We have to sing of great mercy, too, for our health 
is good ; and the attention of Mr. and Mrs. Cowan, and of 
Mr. Simj)son, is unremitting. 

^' Their kindness has laid us under lasting obligations. The 
interest of the people is as great as ever : and managers and 
proprietors of estates solicit my labours. Should we ever be 
compelled to abandon Goshen, of which I have no fear, I know 
that other places, equally advantageous, will be offered." 

Saturday. 22d. — About eighty people were working at the 
shed. At twelve o'clock, I paid them for their half-day's 
work. I then spoke about a report which had reached me 
this morning, that I v/ant to teach their children in order 
that they may, by this means, be boimd to the estate. I felt 
hurt that they should fancy I came to wreathe the yoke of 
bondage around the necks of their children. It was false. 
Had I been hindered from teaching them, except on these 
terms, I would not have come, and my friends would not 
have sent me. It was but just to their master to say that 
he had neither proposed, nor, so far as I knew, thought of 
such terms. Those who spread these stories against me were 
the enemies of their childrei], and wished to keep them from 
that instruction which, most of all, they needed for freedom, 
and for death and eternity. "We have, sometimes, much to 
bear from the suspicions of the negroes. They are exceed- 
ingly jealous of their Kberty, and our enemies are ever active 
in fanning thcK suspicions to our hurt." 



60 



MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



Sahhath^ 23d. — It is a great matter of thankfulness that 
all the reports against us fail to injure our Sabbath meetings. 
The classes and the audience were as numerous as ever I have 
seen them. Two men told me of their desire that I should 
marry them. They had perfect confidence in my marrying. 
So that there is reason to hope that the objections made to 
my lawful authority to perform the marriage ceremony, men- 
tioned in a former page, instead of having injured us, have 
done us good." 

Saturday^ 29th. — We have this day finished the thatch- 
ing of the church. The people exerted themselves to the ut- 
most, and were not a little satisfied when the last handful 
was put on. They continued at work the whole day, for 
which I paid them at the common rate." 

" Sahbathj 30th. — I preached vacant our old church, the 
boiling-house, and intimated that, on the following Sabbath, 
we should meet in our own church ; and desired the people to 
bring seats with them." 

" Sabbath, 6th August. — At an early hour the people be- 
gan to assemble. It was cheering to see bands coming from 
every quarter, some carrying chairs, some, stools, and some, 
benches, wending their way to the house which we had erected 
for the worship of the God of Israel. This eased the pain of 
former discouragements ; it far more than made up for former 
difticulties. It proved to us that the Lord was on our side, 
and would still be with us, till we should have performed all 
the work which he had appointed for us. At nine o'clock 
we began the classes ; at ten, the house was full ; at eleven, 
crowded. I preached from Matt, xviii. 20 : ' Where two or 
three are,' etc., and showed them the two grand points of dif- 
ference between the assemblies of God's people and those of 
the world ; that the former met in Christ's name, and for 
his service, and that Christ himself is in the midst of them. 
That, therefore, the glory of such assemblies consists not in 
the presence of wealth and rank, or in the magnificence of the 
building, but in the excellence of the work, the spirituality of 
those engaged in it, and, above all, in the gracious presence 



THE FIEST HOUSE OF PEAYER. 



61 



of Jesiis Cliiist. They listened vrith much seeming interest 
and delight, and, I trust, vrith profit. In the middle of the 
day I arranged the readers into dilferent classes, for the sake 
of order and comfort. I took down the names of 120 per- 
sons who promised to attend the classes regularly. At the 
close of the afternoon's service, the people came forward and 
expressed themselves highly satisfied with their church, and 
said, ' Massa, just one thing more now : to have you down 
from CaiTon Hall in the midst of us.' ''' 

Arrangements were made for boarding the shed all round, 
and for seating it. On 26. September he writes, Five p.ai. 
The people aU home ; the church seated, and the sittings cal- 
culated to contain from ioO to 500 peop)]e.'' Xone but a mis- 
sionary who has had to go thi^ough the labour and efiort needed 
to procure shelter for his family, and a rouf under which to 
c-arry on his work r.:i::ri_ the people, can fidly sympathize with 
^h. Jameson^ as he Im^ds in this imadorned shed, and looks 
around on the rough structure. This is the best he can get. 
K it were infinitely finer, it would not be too good for its pur- 
pose. But its appearance does not hinder it from being the 
meeting-place of the Lord of salvation with this people, in the 
dawn of the day of the gospel upon them. 

Thursdai/^ ^Jth Septemhej-. — ]\lrs. Jameson confined. Sad 
night ! All other anxieties and fears were for the time forgot- 
ten in my concern about the safety of her who had become my 
companion in this land of strangers and of many clifiiculties. I 
cried unto Thee, 0 Lord ; I said. Thou art my refuge and my 
portion in the land of the living. Her sorrows terminated in 
the biith of a dead boy. I feel thankful that the Lord, while 
He has taken to himself our first-born, has spared the mother. 
The Lord p-rmitted him not to abide with us. He took his 
soul to himself, and gave us the body to lay in the grave. He 
is buried beside ^h. Cowan's first-bom, under the shade of a 
bamboo tree."' 

The following extract expresses the missionaiy's feelings 
about the hindrances that are put in the way of the gospel 
among a heathen people, by the want of religion, and the posi- 



62 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



tive wickedness of Europeans. A man must either be a true 
man — a genuinely godly man — in the presence of heathenism, 
or he is all but certain to be decidedly bad. A morality which 
springs merely from a regard for appearances, or for tbe public 
opinion of a country like Scotland, but which is not the out- 
coming of a regenerated heart, soon withers and dies amid the 
moral miasma of heathenism. How many promising youths 
have become vile, and been lost to all good, on leaving religious 
circles, to push their fortunes in foreign lands ! Their morality 
not being rooted in godliness of heart, is speedily sapped and 
swept away ; from bad they grow to worse ; in the lowest 
depth they find a lower deep, till they are hardened into shame- 
lessness, and frequently die the death of the wicked." 

l^th September. — The simple gospel is scorned and 
nauseated by Scotchmen, and the sons of Scotch ministers 
are foremost in the band. Alas ! we have much reason to 
blush for our countrymen. With one exception they have 
forsaken us. At first, they professed to stand by us, but they 
love the world with its unholy pleasures too much to love the 
gospel too. They do not openly oppose me, but, by their 
coldness to all that is good, by their disrespect to all that God 
has appointed for man's salvation, and by the impurity of their 
lives, they show what spirit they are of" 

''Saturday^ 23d September. — Visited a sick person, at the 
request of her husband — the first since I came to the country. 
These visits to the negro houses need to be made with caution. 
The day of man's claiming property in his fellow-man is fast 
drawing to a close. In the meantime, we must diligently use 
the opportunities we have of sowing the seed of eternal life, 
which, blessed be G-od, are now many, and are daily in- 
creasing." 

Writing to Mr. M'Gilchrist, 26th September 1837, he says, 
Some negroes were lately placed under my care, who were 
taken in a slave-ship by H.M.S. ' Eacer.' 500 of them were 
brought to Jamaica ; and the Governor distributed them among 
the different estates, as apprentices, on condition that they should 
be clothed, fed and educated, and, at the end of five years, re- 



LIBERATED AFEICANS. 



63 



ceive £10 to enable tliem to follow any pursuit they might 
desire. The proprietor of Salisbury, Mr. Jeffrey, receiyed thirty, 
all young people. They were fresh and good-looking, and some 
of the boys decidedly interesting and smart. It is only four 
weeks since they came, and one of the boys knows most of the 
letters, through the attention and perseyerance of Mrs. J effrey. 
Mr. J. ranks them before the house eyery night, and teaches 
them the names of the different parts of the body, which 
amuses them much. Their great delights, at present, are their 
clothes, of which they receiyed two changes, and their food. A 
few nights ago, one of the boys stole a hen from the coop, 
plucked it, and was proceeding to eat it, when the theft was 
discoyered. iSext morning, Mr J. called the boy to the door, 
and showed him his error. In a few minutes, all his fellows 
surrounded him. They tied a piece of cloth on his head, and 
then, dancing around him, singing the songs of their country, 
with switches in their hand?, eyery one, as he passed, struck 
him with his switch, until jMr. Jeffrey had to interfere. The 
dead fowl was tied on his back, and he was sent to work. In 
the eyening, the poor boy underwent the same treatment from 
his countrymen, and was to hciye the fowl tied to his back in 
the morning, but he deyoured it during the night." 

In the same letter, Mr. Jameson refers to certain exaggerated 
accounts of the emancipated, on the one hand, and of the mas- 
ters, on the other. The former were depicted in too fayourable 
a light ; and the latter were too much blackened. The friends 
of the negro were not always wise in their defence of him, any 
more than his enemies were fair in their attacks. The latter 
set forward only the bad ones as the sample ; and the former, 
sometimes, set forward only the good ones. A medium repre- 
sentation, both of the people and of the planters, would haye 
been truer, and, therefore, more expedient. There were well- 
behayed and industrious negroes, as well as lazy, good-for- 
nothing fellows ; and there were kind and righteous masters, 
as well as harsh and oppressiye ones. " The statement that 
all the planters are brutes and l3arbarians, is a yery extravagant 
one." To represent Jamaica as eyangelized, and the negroes as 



64 



MEMOIE OF REV. WILLI.OI JAMESON. 



all pious and patient, was equally extravagant. This misrepre- 
sentation was calculated to do mischief in several ways. It 
encouraged the churches at home, in some cases, to abandon 
the infant communities before they were able to stand alone ; 
and it stirred up the enemies of emancipation and of missions to 
depreciate and slander the good that, by the grace of God, had 
really been accomplished. We must bear a little with the ex- 
travagances of both sides ; and the friends of missions will do 
well to learn, from the case of Jamaica, neither to form exag- 
gerated notions of the good which they do, nor to expect too 
much in a short period. There are laws of progress in the 
kingdom of God plainly laid down in the word of God. The 
growth of a minute seed into a spreading and umbrageous tree, 
the leavening of a large mass by the silent and gradual influence 
of a little leaven, are figures of the history of that kingdom, 
given us by the Lord himself. 

Fiat justitia ruat ccelum, do and speak according to justice 
and truth, whatever may be the consequences. No good is ever 
done to a good cause by extravagance of statement on the part 
of its promoters, or by painting their opponents blacker than 
they really are. ^'either is that style of praise at all judicious 
in which so many are apt to indulge, either on their own 
account, or on account of others. Obedience to our Lord's law 
of love, as explained by Paul, would prevent much bitter feel- 
ing between individual Christians and bodies of Christians : 
Avithout preferring one before another, doing nothing by parti- 
ality." " Let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory; but, 
in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than them- 
selves. Let us not be desirous of vain-glory, provoking one 
another, envying one another." 

In sending home his journal, containing these notices of en- 
gagements and labours during nine months, Mr. Jameson con- 
cludes thus : — "We have certainly experienced some difficulties 
in this distant land, but these are few and light when compared 
with those experienced by our brethren before us ; they are in- 
significant when compared with the mercies we have enjoyed ; 
they are far fewer and lighter than might have been expected. 



LUCKY HTLL PEN. 



65 



They have taught us to confide in God, rather than man. When 
we sing of judgment, we would, in a higher note still, sing of 
mercy." 

At length (October 20) the missionary and his partner took 
possession of their house — Lucky Hill Pen — a small residence 
about three miles from the place of worship. It stands quiet 
and cheerful, amid rich evergreen pastures, where hundreds 
of cattle feed, and has been a pleasant home to Mr. Jame- 
son's successors. The people began to gather round them, 
in the evenings, to learn to read the word of God. The les- 
sons being heard, religious instruction was given to those who 
thus assembled. "While I write," says Mr. Jameson, "my 
wife is in an adjoining room with twenty of these learners. 
The answer just given by one of the children to a question, 
amuses me much. The question was, ^ Where is God 1 ' the 
answer, ^All about.' This was his idea of God's omni- 
presence." 

Having been laid down with fever for two weeks, and unable 
to officiate on the Lord's day, he records : — 

" Xovemher 5th. — Preached to a large and attentive audience. 
Many of them came, they said, uncertain whether or not there 
would be service ; but they were so wearied, or hungry, as 
they expressed themselves, that they were willing to run the 
risk." 

^The people were now as willing, as they had formerly been 
backward, to aid in preparing a roof under which to worship 
God. The Goshen carpenters waited on Mr. Jameson, and 
asked to be allowed to finish the boarding of the church in 
their own time. 

Sahhath, Xovemher 12th. — After service, I intimated to 
the people that, as I had not had an opportunity of ascertain- 
ing who were my own people, and who not, I intended to 
open a class for persons who wished to be instructed with a 
view to become members, and that they must come and con- 
verse with me privately before I put down their names." 

During the week many came, and the missionary was greatly 
cheered with finding so much interest and earnestness, although 

E 



66 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



their knowledge was scanty and imperfect. As many couples 
were living according to a fashion, alas ! too common still, that 
of " beastly concubinage," it was made a rule that none such 
should be admitted, unless they consented to marry. Many of 
these couples, therefore, complied with the divine law, and 
were married accordingly. 

Mr. Jameson also began to visit from house to house, and 
was much encouraged by the tokens of an awakening interest 
and anxiety among the people. One sick person told him that 
her husband had long since died, and she wished to be married 
to the Lord Jesus Christ. " Met a man who told me that he 
and his wife could not agree, and that he belonged to John the 
Baptist's religion. I told him that there was no such religion, 
and that he had no peace in his family, because he was not yet 
acquainted with the religion of Jesus Christ. If he prayed to 
Jesus every day, and submitted his heart to Christ, he would 
enjoy peace in his family, and peace in his heart, for then he 
would have peace with God." 

On the 1 0th of December, Mr. Jameson says : — ^' Spent a 
happy day at Port Maria, with my brother, Mr. Simpson, and 
his flock, in observing the Lord's Supper. After the forenoon's 
service, Mr. Simpson ordained three elders, and in the afternoon, 
the disciples gathered around the table of the Lord. It is 
delightful in any circumstances to sit down at that table, more 
especially with the interesting children of Ethiopia. The 
solemn stillness which pervaded the church when the disciples 
were partaking of the emblems of the Lord's broken body and 
shed blood, was, every now and then, interrupted by the sighs 
and sobs of the melting heart. On the Monday, we held the 
first meeting of session ever held in Port Maria, and I can truly 
say that I was surprised and delighted at the sound judgment 
and manly deportment of the members in the different cases 
which were brought before them." 

On December 21st, Mr. Jameson visited a part of his district 
where he had not formerly been, and was delighted to find him- 
self welcomed by a great number of interested and steady friends. 
It is a joyous thing when the husbandman alights upon a spot 



JOURNEY IX JAMAICA. 



67 



which the Lord of the vineyard has been secretly cultivating 
through his feeble instrumentality. This is casting precious 
seed upon the waters, and finding it when and where it was 
least expected. 

A meeting was held, on Christmas day, for the purpose of 
explaining and enforcing the advantages of education. In- 
stead of preaching a sermon on education, I made the people 
judges, and called up before them all those who had made 
application for Testaments. I examined them on the book they 
had read, and then asked them to read a verse in the Testament, 
and left it to the meeting to decide who were worthy to receive 
a Testament. Out of fourteen applicants eight were considered 
worthy ; the rest were advised to persevere at their books. I 
then presented each of the teachers with a Bible, and addressed 
them on the advantages of education." 

Sahhath^ Decemher ?>\st. — We made our first collection — 
£3, 12s. sterling — much more than I expected." 

^'January 1, 1838. — To-day I went, according to appoint- 
ment, to visit the estate of R — H — . On my arrival, I found 
the people rioting and dancing in the great house. I thought, 
what is the use of talking so much about moral instruction, and 
of expressing so great a desire for the visit of the minister, 
when the people are thus encouraged to trample under foot the 
one, and trifle with the appointment of the other ? I told one 
to say to the people that the minister had kept his word, that 
he was sorry to find them thus employed, and that it would 
have been much better had they been reading their books, and 
spending the first day of the year with God." 

^'January I2th. — During the last week, we have been busily 
preparing for our journey to the Presbytery, — feeding our 
horses, mending our saddles, bridles, and portmanteaus, and 
resting and strengthening ourselves. A journey of 80 miles, 
in a coach and four, along a smooth turnpike, is nothing com- 
pared with a journey of the same length here, where one has to 
jog on horseback, over precipitous mountain tracks, and by 
paths which the torrent has torn up, and, in a great measure, 
svv'ept away." 



68 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



January 31s^. — Since my last entry in the journal, I have 
experienced much of the Lord's kindness, in the long and tire- 
some journey. In our way, we passed through a great variety of 
scenery, which delighted the eye and beguiled the weariness of the 
ride, — the stupendous precipice, the rocky mountain, the endless 
evergreen forest, the green vale, the extensive coffee plantation, 
and the refreshing green of the rich cane-field. At our various 
halting-places, we met with much kindness ; and we were, in 
different quarters, requested to return and preach the gospel of 
peace. Afc length, we arrived at New Broughton, and received 
a joyous welcome from our friends, Mr. and Mrs. Paterson, and 
had a happy meeting with the brethren. After remaining six 
days together, we separated, refreshed by our mutual intercourse. 
In labours, our brother Mr. Paterson is most abundant, and the 
fruit of them appears to be no less so. In his school and in 
his congregation the Lord seems to be blessing him." 

" March Xst. — Preached at Goshen negro village, in the 
house of one of my people. I spoke to the audience about 
the thief on the cross, and all appeared to be deeply inter- 
ested. After speaking for nearly an hour, I told them that 
I must now conclude, when a number of voices cried : ^ Go 
on, Massa, we no tired yet.' Having spoken for some con- 
siderable time longer, and examined them upon what I had 
said, nine o'clock came, when I was obliged to move. They 
seemed reluctant to part. ' Good- night, massa ; give my how- 
d'ye to Mrs.,' sounded from every corner as I left the house. 
Found Mrs. Jameson in the midst of the evening class, waiting 
my return to have family worship. 

" Have just heard that Mr. 0— , a curate, has been 

attacking me in every quarter where my influence extends, 
throwing doubts into the minds of the people about my power 
to dispense the sacraments, to marry, etc. I take no notice of 
him or his attacks, unless my opinion is asked. 

" It is a pity that individuals, instead of busying themselves 
with that work in which they profess to be engaged, turn their 
shafts against those whom they ought to regard as brethren 
and fellow-labourers. The Church has long slumbered in this 



MOTHER WINTER. 



69 



country, and she is moving now because she is moved by an 
external force ; and, with characteristic self-complacency, she 
is loud in her own praise, both as to what she has done, is 
now doing, and is able to do. 

" One expects no enemies in Jamaica, bub the prince of 
darkness. Least of all does one expect to meet with foes 
among those who have left their country professedly with the 
same object as one's-self. These things, however, do not move 
me, otherwise than, I hope, they humble me, and train me to 
the Christian exercise of blessing those that curse us, and pray- 
ing for those who despitefuUy use us." 

Eeturning late from an evening meeting, he writes : — I 
have often heard of a Jamaica fog, but never was in the midst 
of one before. The moon was full and bright, the air cold, 
and the fog, an endless cloud, dense and piercing. This is 
one of the causes of Jamaica mortality. Europeans leave their 
carousals in a heated state, and dash into the fog ; perspiration 
is suddenly checked, fever ensues, and in a short time, death." 

Mr. Jameson did not know, while he was riding home that 
evening, under the pale moon, and through the snow-white 
fog, that one soul in the meeting had been savingly impressed. 
She was a person who, from age and weakness, had not been 
able to attend the meetings at Goshen boiling-house. She 
was one of the few who used to meet for prayer, and were 
persecuted by the overseer, as has been already stated. Some 
years before this, she felt a strong desire to be able to read. 
By begging a little help from any one who knew letters, she at 
length mastered the art. In his visits to Goshen, Mr. Simp- 
son found her out, and gave her a New Testament. Being 
unfit for labour. Mother Winter took charge of the children 
while their mothers were in the field. To keep them out of 
mischief, she began to teach them. This angered the overseer, 
and he took her before the magistrate, saying that she was an 
idler. The wisdom of the British Parliament had provided a 
stipendiary magistrate in each parish, whose business it was to 
see that the provisions of the Act of Emancipation were not 
infringed. These magistrates, w^hen not, as in some cases it is 



70 



MEMOIK OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



alleged they were, partial to the employers, were efficient pro- 
tectors of the negroes. The people in St. Mary's say, " Had 
it not been for Massa Walsh, we no been live to see the free." 
This gentleman, Henry Walsh, Esq., has been uniformly the 
friend of the black people, and his protection was needed by 
many apprentices in the parish of St. Mary's. Mother Win- 
ter's case could be decided only by Mr. Walsh. On hearing 
it, he said that she was obviously unfit for field-work, and 
what better could she do than teach the children '] Mother 
Winter, who had come into the presence of the magistrate, as 
she tells, trembling and praying, had her mouth thus filled 
with a song of deliverance. 

Mother AVinter used to tell the writer that before Mr. 
Jameson came, she feared God, but did not fully know the 
Saviour. On that evening, he spoke on the rich man and 
Lazarus, and the word came with power. From that time, she 
became a new creature, and began to live in a new world ; 
and still she holds on the tenor of her Christian way, a very 
happy, humble, and faithful disciple. She is living in a green 
old age, respected by all, in the hope of going home to the 
happy land, and there meeting Father Jameson, of whose 
ministry she was one of the first fruits, and whose joy and 
crown she, with many more, will doubtless be. 

The following letter is to his sisters, on their leaving their 
Methven home : — 

I am just recovering from a slight attack of fever. Much 
reason have I to bless God for his gentleness towards me in 
iny sicknesses. Oh, may they be sanctified ! 0 that they 
would make me live less for myself, and more for Christ, and 
work for me an exceeding and eternal weight of glory ! Nicolis 
enjoys good health ; and this is an unspeakable blessing to 
me. Her anxiety about me is extreme, and her care of me 
the most unwearied. 

Your account of leaving Methven — our home from childhood 
— interested and affected us much. It was a time the most 
trying, but the Lord stood by you, and now you will look back 
and sing the song of mercy. When Nicolis and I left you, many 



NEGEO INTELLECT NOT INFERIOE. 



71 



said that we were going from ease and comfort, to enter on a 
thorny path. In some respects it may have been so ; but yours, 
as well as the path of many friends at home, has been so too. 
Afflictions and trials are confined to no one country or situation, 
but are common to all. Nay, wherever there are heirs of glory, 
there must also be the purifying furnace ; wherever the children 
of God are, there must also be the rod. 

" In Perth you will find scope for usefulness. In the lanes 
and back-lying districts there are many poor and destitute, 
living in darkness and ignorance ; but you will find, too, many 
a willing ear and grateful heart. Many bed-ridden patients 
will esteem you, and be comforted by the word which com- 
forted you in your affliction, and whose affection and gratitude 
will be expressed by tears. I wish you could find out some of 
my old people, and tell me about them. Imitate Dorcas, or 
rather, I should say, Christ himself, who went about continually 
doing good." 

Sugar estates, in slavery time, had each a picaniny gang — 
the boys and girls, who were sent to work under a female 
driver. The Act of Emancipation provided that these children 
should be allowed to attend school. But many planters disliked 
this, and disliked also Mr. Jameson's energetic efforts to educate. 
He had to complain of certain malicious reports which had been 
spread against him in connexion with this. Facts were the 
best answer which he could give. He resolved to make the 
school useful, and that would shut the mouth of slander. The 
school throve, as schools always thrive, under lively, hearty, and 
kindly management. Goshen school became what Mr. Jameson 
wanted it to be, " a centre of light to the district." We have 
heard one of the old members, on a meeting day, rise up and 
declare that almost aU, even in other churches around, who 
could read their Bibles, owed it to Goshen school. 

" We have children of every colour, white, brown, and black. 
I have been trying to discover the boasted superiority of intellect 
of the white ; but I confess I cannot find it. Every day's obser- 
vation convinces me that there is not the thousandth part of a 
hair's-breadth between the untutored negro and the untutored 



72 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



Scotcliman ; that the one is as dull and stupid as the other ; 
and the black child is as apt to learn, and is as often at the 
head of his class as the white child." 

Surely the opinion of those who have taught the white and 
the black, and have taught them together, is worth something 
in the question still agitated as to the capacities of the whites 
and negroes respectively. Missionary testimony alone is trust- 
worthy in a question of this kind. It is not fair, and it is not 
philosophical, to slight the evidence of fact and of experience. 
Negro children have, undeniably, a fair average capacity to 
receive an ordinary English education. Many missionaries know 
this by experience. The writer of this has taught the school at 
Goshen, in the absence of the teacher, and therefore knows that 
there is not a greater amount of stolidity in a Jamaica school 
than in a Scotch parish school. This much we say in justice to 
the negroes. It is ungenerous in men of British race to scorn 
them, as some seem to pride themselves in doing. The British 
race is the foremost in the world, and what land is like our 
own island home ] But we lower ourselves when we unjustly 
disparage others. 

The following passage describes a visit which Mr. Jameson 
paid to Middlesex, a place among the mountains, six or eight 
miles from Goshen. At that place a number of people were 
living, who had emigrated from Scotland. An attempt was 
made at that time to allure European labourers to Jamaica ; and 
many from Ireland and Scotland went out with high expecta- 
tions which were doomed to be disappointed. White men from 
Britain cannot work under the sun of the tropics. They are 
not adapted to endure the rays of a vertical sun, as the negroes 
and other natives of the tropics are, by the colour of their skins 
and by the thickness of their crania. This European immigra- 
tion proved a complete and miserable failure ; and it entailed 
fearful suffering on those who had been deluded by parties guilty 
of culpable rashness, or of something deserving a far more dis- 
honourable name. Many of the immigrants died, a few returned 
to Britain, and scarcely a vestige now remains of this other 
instance of colonial folly. 



SCOTCH IMMIGEANTS. 



73 



Mr. Jameson writes (April, 1838), ''I found them all busy 
in their provision grounds. Some of them are old men and 
women bordering on sixty ; one man is almost seventy. There 
is a number of stout young men and women, and a good many 
are children. I asked all the people to meet me in the room 
where the business of the township is transacted. Forty people 
soon gathered, and we spent an hour in devotion. I cannot 
describe the feelings which almost overpowered me, when I saw 
so many of my own countrymen before me, and thought, every 
moment, that I was addressing them in a foreign land, 5000 
miles from the country of our birth. I read Psalm cxxi. An 
old man came forward, with his Bible in his hand, and a High- 
land bonnet under his arm, and struck up ^Bangor.' We sung, 
but our harps were sometimes_, for a moment, on the willows. 
While we sung, I frankly confess, we wept. We all seemed to 
feel that we were singing the Lord's song in a foreign land. I 
read Psalm xxv., and prayed. While I w^as addressing them, 
the manager, a native of the country, came in. I was exhort- 
ing them to attend to the instruction of their children, and to 
give them lessons, as far as they were able, in reading and 
writing. He seemed to think that I was exacting too much from 
them, and that they had other things to do. I explained to 
him that every Scotchman was bound to teach his own children, 
as far as he was able. After a meeting which I will not soon 
forget, I returned home, and they to their grounds." 



74 



MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



I 

i 

i 



CHAPTEK IV. 

Emancipation — Feelings of the Emancipated — Sir Lionel Smith's tour of the 
Island— The 1st of August, 1838— Missionary Influence, salutary — Defence of 
Anglo-Ethiopia — Mr. Jameson an educator — Wages difficulty— New Church needed 
—Examination of Catechumens — Rent difficulty — Opposition — Birth of a Daughter 
— Conflicting views of Emancipation. 

The day of freedom at length dawned upon all the slaves who 
were under the sceptre of Britain. It had been enacted that 
non-praedial slaves — those who were house servants — should 
become free on the 1st August, 1838, while the praedial, or 
field -working slaves should remain apprentices till 1st August, 
1840. The apprenticeship was only a mitigated, if, indeed, 
a mitigated slavery. And notwithstanding that stipendiary 
magistrates had been appointed to see the Act of Emancipation 
carried out, the apprentices were exposed to great wrong and 
oppression. Many persons in charge of estates seemed, like 
Satan, to be in great wrath because their time was short, and 
the nearer that the time approached, the fiercer burned the 
flame of their fury. It vexed them, as it vexed the Egyptians 
before them, to see their bondmen going free, and they pursued 
the fugitives with threats and violence. Still was the soul of 
humanity wrung by the sight of bleeding backs, mangled and 
torn with the lash. And these sufferers were not malefactors 
who were flogged for their crimes, but, sometimes, Christian men 
and women, whose offence was that they had lost time, or other- 
wise broken the regulations of a code which was inconsistent 
with the rights of freemen. For however the like of Thomas 
Caiiyle, in one of his cross moods, may declare himself in favour 
of the whip for the backs of lazy Africans, there is a more ex- 
cellent way ; and, so long as a man infringes on none of the 
rights of his neighbours, it must be a crime to treat him as a 



APPSE>'TICESHIP ABOLISHED. 



75 



criminal. Undeniable evidence that tlie apprentices ^Yere suffer- 
ing much harsh and unrighteous usage, stirred up in Britain a 
desire to bring the apprenticeship to an end at once. A motion 
to that effect was made in the House of Commons, on the 30th 
March, 1838, but was lost by a majority of sixty-four. In 
May, however, another motion to the same effect was carried 
by a majority of three. 

But the Legislature of Jamaica wisely resolved to take up 
the matter themselves. Mr. Jameson Avas in Spanish Town 
when the question was discussed in the House of Assembly. 
"All professed to detest slavery from their very souls, but 
loudly wailed for the injury which would be inflicted on them 
by emancipation. All professed ardent attachment to their 
Queen and country, but cursed the interference that forced the 
negroes from their grasp. They professed a desire to see the 
negro as free as themselves, but were very unwilling to untie 
the cords with which he was bound. The voice of Britain, 
however, was not to be misunderstood. The bill passed, and 
the nursling of ages, of money, and of blood, expired, and that 
in the house of its friends, and deprived of existence by tlieir 
hands. With God all things are possible, and all things easy. 
He speaks and it is done." 

The following is an interesting account of the abolition of the 
apprenticeship by the Island Legislature. 

" June, 1838. — The last link of slavery's chain is 
broken for ever. Saturday eight-days, the last and fatal stroke 
was given. Four weeks ago, the Governor received a despatch 
from home, intimating that the Government's new bill was to 
arrive by the following packet. His Excellency forthwith sum- 
moned the House of Assembly. The House met, and resolved 
to anticipate the expected bill, by enacting that the apprentice- 
ship should cease, and unrestricted freedom should be the order 
of things, from the 1st of August. The measure was carried 
without a dissenting voice. The Assembly's bill was amended 
by the Council. These amendments the House rejected with 
scorn, declaring that their Honours ought to take their bill, and 
be thankfuL That since they had submitted to sacrifice two 



76 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



whole years of the apprenticeship, their bill was entitled to 
better treatment. In the meantime, Lord Glenelg's bill arrived ; 
andj to the no small annoyance of the Honourable House, it 
was immediately proclaimed by order of the Governor, and 
forthwith became law. There was now no time to fight about 
amendments. The opposing parties met in conference, when 
matters were adjusted ; and, on the 1 6th day of June, the bill 
was passed. The House was prorogued, and the members 
returned to their homes to make preparations for the approach- 
ing event. 

" I need not say that this event has filled the land with joy 
and praise. The Lord has done far more for us than we expected. 
In our sequestered spot we were sitting quietly, making up our 
minds to receive, with gratitude to God, this new bill which 
Government was sending out. On Sabbath, I brought before 
them the Governor's letter, and told the people what improve- 
ments had been made in the Apprenticeship Act, and exhorted 
them to faithfulness. Next Sabbath, a letter reached me 
with the tidings that the apprenticeship was doomed, and that 
universal freedom was to be enjoyed from the 1st of August. 
Many believed not for joy. We stopped our usual work, and 
spent some time in offering to the Giver of all good thanksgiv- 
ing and praise. It was in truth the figure clothed in reality : 
the bringing to the captive the unexpected message of freedom. 
Some days afterwards, I asked one of my people what arrange- 
ments they were making for the 1st of August. ' Indeed, 
Massa, we have not yet begun to think of making arrange- 
ments, we are so glad.' 

Last night, I had a meeting with those of my people who 
live on a neighbouring estate, to examine into a case of moral 
delinquency, of which I had just heard. It appeared that their 
master had taken possession of the property, that he gave a dance 
to his people on Saturday last, and kept it up till four o'clock 
on Sabbath morning. Such things are very grievous. Some 
were there for whom I had a high esteem, who have been my 
steadiest people, and who were most eager in their pursuit after 
knowledge. They told me that they did not know the impro- 



GLADNESS OF THE PEOPLE. 



77 



priety of their conduct, or rather, as it afterwards appeared, had 
not the boldness to resist the wishes of their young master. I 
assure you we have much need of your prayers, and your special 
prayers for this, that the Lord would keep those whom he is 
gathering into his infant church here, from falling again into 
the pollutions of the world. Numerous and strong are the 
temptations which encompass the flock. In every way, the 
devil tempts them. Pray for us that we may have grace to 
stand." 

" On my return from Spanish Town," writes Mr. Jameson, 
I found all happy at the prospect of freedom ; but some 
doubted. One poor old man thought the news too good to be 
true. Massa would not part with him so easily. Tiie paper, 
as he calls it, put this matter beyond a doubt. A notice was 
handed to him, intimating that, on the 1st of August, his ap- 
prenticeship expires, and that, three months after that date, 
he shall peaceably retire from the estate, if he cannot agree to 
remain, and work for the wages offered. This notice was 
given to all the people on the estates ; and many came to 
have it read and to get the 'understanding of it.' I told 
them not to fear the paper. It was the badge of their coming 
freedom. They would no longer be the property of their 
|l masters. But if they gave up working on the estates, they 
must also give up their houses and grounds. Some thought 
that, when the Queen gave them the ' free,' she also gave them 
their provision grounds. I told them that they were no longer 
to be as the horses and cattle — the property of the estates — 
to be bought and sold with the soil ; but were to be free men, 
to work for wages, and out of these wages to pay rent and edu- 
cate their children. They thought that, as they had built 
the houses, and brought in the provision grounds from the 
bush, they had the best right to them ; I told them that the 
time during which they had already held their houses paid 
them for their labour in rearing them, and that the yearly pro- 
duce of their grounds repaid them for the labour of cultivating 
them. Your masters gave you these grounds, because you 
were slaves or apprentices. But now you are to be neither 



78 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON". 



slaves nor apprentices ; you are to work for wages ; and, 
therefore, you must pay rent." 

The Governor, Sir Lionel Smith, sailed round the island 
during the month of July, to meet with the apprentices, and 
give them his best advice, with the view of preparing them for 
the duties of their new position. Ministers of the gospel were 
invited to co-operate with His Excellency in this important 
work. And there never was a time when their advice and in- 
fluence were more required ; and they never had it more in 
their power to benefit the country. Ph^^sical restraints were 
nearly at an end ; corporal punishment had all but ceased ; the 
strength of the former system was gone ; and nothing remained 
but moral impulse. Every minister visited the people in their 
houses, or met them at appointed times, exhorting them to 
diligence and good conduct, showing them in what spirit they 
shouhl enter on their new situation, and how faithfully they 
should try to discharge their new duties. 

Messrs. Cowan, Simpson, and Jameson waited on Sir Lionel 
at Port Maria, and presented an address, which was well re- 
ceived. Apprentices came from all parts of St. Mary's to see 
and hear the Governor. His words were much to the point, 
and every one was highly gratified. 

On returning home, Mr. Jameson was distressed to learn 
that the people were deserting their work on all hands, and he 
went round the district to show them the way of rectitude. 
Some had formed wrong and extravagant notions, from mis- 
taking the Governor's speech, and they were elated by the 
near approach of the 1st of August. Mr. Jameson assured 
them that this folly of theirs was opening the mouths of their 
enemies, and shutting the mouths of their friends. They were 
apprentices till the 1st of August, and must work till then. 
Even then, it would be for their interest not to desert their 
work, but to be diligent and laborious, that they might receive 
wages, that the country might be prosperous, and that the 
great measure which secured their freedom might be crowned 
with success. 

At last the day of freedom came ; and the way in which the 



THE FIEST OF AUGUST. 



79 



people spent it was greatly to their own praise ; for it won for 
them the golden opinions of all their friends, gratified and de- 
lighted, beyond measure, those who had fought their battle, 
and gave a manifest proof of the good effects of the glorious 
gospel of the blessed God. The 1st day of August, 1838, is a 
day much to be remembered by the freed-men of the West 
Indies, and by all generations of their children, as the day that 
saw slavery go down, with its whips, and stocks, and hand- 
cuffs, and tread-mills, to the vile dust from which it sprung." 

Mr. Jameson gave graphic and touching narratives of the 
1st of August at Goshen, in his journal and letters. 

"The sun went down, on the 31st of July, amid joy and 
singing. The people continued at their labour to the last. Now 
it had ceased ; and one after another came to the missionary's 
residence till the school-house was filled, while numbers of 
children marched round it, singing hymns of praise to God for 
sending minister among them, the old people following them 
and joining in the song. I went down, and found the multi- 
tude very happy indeed. ' Minister,' they said, ' we thought 
this day would never come. We cannot believe that on to- 
morrow we shall be free. Thank God ! We never can thank 
God enough. We want to sit all night, thankiug God, if you, 
minister, think it proper.' 

" ^ Oh no, my friends, it is not proper to sit aU night, for 
you will be tired out long before morning, and unfit for the 
exercises of that joyful day that is to burst on you to-morrow. 
As for myself, I cannot do so, for I am exhausted.' 

" Some wished to pass the night with us. I said that those 
who came from a distance should remain, but those who lived 
near had better go home. They asked me if it w^ould be pro- 
per to fast aU night. I replied that it was good to cherish 
the spirit of fasting at all times ; but, considering the hea^y 
work in which they had been engaged all day, and what was 
before them to-morrow, I advised them to go to their beds, get 
a sound sleep, take a hearty breakfast in the morning, and 
come to church : for they could not worship God while 
their heads were sleepy and their stomachs hungry. As for 



80 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESOX. 



myself, I was going to bed at once, for I had been toiling since 
five o'clock in the morning, and was very tired. To-morrow, 
I intended to eat an additional yam, to drink an additional cup 
of coffee, and to take an additional spoonful of sugar to it, be- 
cause these things were no more to be produced by the labour 
of slaves, but by the industry of freemen. I told them, also, 
that the children of Israel did not fast the night before they 
left Egypt, but every family ate a whole lamb. With these 
things they were more than satisfied ; and, after prayer and 
singing, we parted for the niglit. 

At dawn, while the morning star was yet bright, the fall- 
ing of the chain of the gate awakened me from my slumber. 
I arose, and, hastening to the school-house, heard the well- 
known voice of an old negro, singing, ^ Hark, the glad sound, 
the Saviour comes !' In a little, a few more arrived, moving 
through the thick fog which the rays of the rising sun had not 
yet dispelled. At break of day, our family were called together, 
to raise our happy hearts in humble acknowledgments to our 
Father in heaven. I had arranged with my people, the Sab- 
bath before, tbat, at five o'clock, every family in the church 
should meet around the family altar to praise God for his 
goodness. By seven o'clock, the school-room was crowded. 
Every countenance beamed with joy. The old negro seemed to 
have got back the vivacity of youth. * Massa,' said one old, 
feeble man, and my hand got a shake which well-nigh squeezed 
the blood out of my fingers, ' Massa, we never thought we see 
this day. We bless God for let we see this day. We were 
put in a ship, crushed and trampled down, carried away from 
our country and people, and brought here ; but, Massa, we for- 
get and forgive all, for the joy of this day.' One who had 
already shaken my hand twice, came, a third time, saying, 
* Massa, we cannot get too much shaking.' Hundreds were in 
and around the school while religious services were conducted. 
I married fourteen couples, some young, some old. 

"After getting refreshment, the people ranked themselves, 
and walked to the church, three miles distant. We followed as 
soon as possible. When we came in sight cf the church, a 



MISSIONARIES XOT IXEPT. 



81 



dense mass of human beings burst upon our view. The church 
was literally packed, and there were two or three times as many 
without. I wished them all joy. Sung a part of the 103d 
Psalm, and addressed them from the words, ' I will deliver thee, 
and thou shalt glorify me,' and also from Rom. xiii. 12-14. 
I showed them that God had wrought this deliverance for them, 
and was now saying to them, ' Glorify me.' But the work of 
emancipation was far from complete ; they saw the first day of 
a career, which I trusted would be a glorious one, ending in 
their rising into full light and liberty. They must forsake 
whatever would hinder their progress ; they must cease from 
the abominations of former days, from riot, and drunkenness, 
and chambering, and wantonness, strife and envying, from prac- 
tices fit only for slaves, and which show men to be the slaves of 
il the devil. They must carry with them all that can speed them 
onwards in the path of light and liberty j they must cling to 
their bibles, their church and school, their minister and teacher, 
their Sabbaths, and, above all, their Saviour. We spent the day 
happily together, and parted full of comfort and of peace. In 
parting, I expressed the hope that they would end the day 
as they had begun it, with God ; so that the good impressions 
made by the services might not be disturbed by feasting and 
merriment. On returning home at five o'clock, I was glad to 
see my highest wish realized. All was order and peace ; and 
contentment seemed to have fijsed her abode among the dwell- 
ings of the people. 

" Next morning, a person said, ' Minister, your word yester- 
day be good, and have good eff'ect ; I never see Goshen people 
so quiet.' All were happy, but there was no riot. Many 
were the visits made to us, and many the presents brought for 
transmission home. An old woman brought a pine-apple for 
the Queen. An old man wanted to learn to write, that he 
might send her a letter of thanks for sending the ' free.' " 

The conduct of ministers of the gospel is very apt to be 
scrutinized with an unfriendly eye by those who cannot sympa- 
thize with their spiritual objects ; their proceedings are often 
grievously misrepresented, either through thoughtlessness or 

F 



82 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON". 



malice ; and their efforts to remove social evils, and to promote 
social righteousness, are often resented by parties who are 
thereby offended. Yet it must be confessed that the influence 
exercised on a community by persons disinterested in their 
motives, pure in their aims, and prudent in their movements, 
is of the most beneficial kind. The history of the Emancipa- 
tion is a triumphant testimony to the truth of this remark. 
!N"o one can doubt that it was chiefly through the efforts of 
pious missionaries that this great measure came into peaceful 
action in the West Jndian possessions of Great Britain. Free- 
dom had, before this, visited the shores of a neighbouring 
island. A Toussaint L'Ouverture — a son of Ethiopia, and a 
man of genius — had arisen and headed his kindred in winning 
liberty from the hated yoke. But how different were the 
scenes that attended the emancipation of Hayti, from those wit- 
nessed in Jamaica, on the day of freedom ! In the British 
West Indies, freedom came, smiling and gracious, as the dawn 
of a Sabbath morn ; in Hayti, it came as the hurricane, and red 
ruin marked its path. In the one, the banner of freedom was 
the white flag of peace ; in the other, the black flag of death. 
In the one, the day was ushered in with the song of praise and 
the voice of prayer ; in the other, with the trumpet of war, the 
shrieks of the dying, and the shouts of the once down-trodden 
slave, hewing with the bloody knife his way to freedom. Be- 
yond a doubt, it was God who caused this difference, by means 
of that blessed gospel which the missionaries preached to the 
slaves, and by means of the moral influence over them which 
they had obtained as the ambassadors of Christ. 

Writing to the Directors of the Kose Street Missionary 
Association, about three months after this period, 13th No- 
vember, 1838, Mr. Jameson thus truly, and with graceful 
modesty, gives his opinion on this matter : — 

" In the late crisis, the minister of the gospel has been of 
essential service to the district in which he lived. To him 
the people looked for advice, and made known all their diffi- 
culties. In those cases where he has imparted to them sound 
advice, and laid himself out to lead them with calmness and 



PEACEFUL TEANSITIOy. 



83 



soberness, the results have been peace, a general return to 
industry, cheerfulness at work, and a fair rate of wages. 

The great principle which has guided my brethren and 
myself, has been that laid down by the apostle : ' Servants, 
obey in all things your masters according to the flesh ; not 
with eye-service, as men-pleasers ; but in singleness of heart, 
fearing God.' ' Masters, give unto your servants that which 
is just and equal ; knowing that ye also have a Master in 
heaven.' In following this line of conduct, we have ex- 
perienced many difficulties, and have been exposed to troubles. 
We have not passed unscathed. At one time we were sus- 
pected by the people of a desire to advance the interests of 
their masters rather than theirs j at another, we were accused 
by the masters of leaning too much to the side of the people. 
My brethren and I looked for righteousness, and wherever we 
found it, we steadily followed it, without respect to party, 
rank, or colour. 

" Up to the present moment, peace has prevailed on the 
estates on which we labour. Mr. Blyth says in a letter, some 
time ago, that his people were all at work, and conducting 
themselves in a most exemplary manner. Mr. Waddell and 
i\Ir. Paterson give the same account of their people. Of our 
churches in St. Mary's I am glad to bear the same testimony. 
In Goshen, my own district, I have been most happily dis- 
appointed, for the character of the people on this property led 
me to expect very difterent things ; and it was the last that 
I expected to see in a promising condition. It has, however, 
been among the first to show an example of diligence in the 
improved state of things. When I thus speak, I do not mean 
to say that everything is well settled, that there is nothing to 
lament, and nothing to rectify. I speak comparatively. Ere 
things are fidly settled, time, care, and diligence will be re- 
quired, and especially the many and earnest prayers of the 
people of God." 

The following extracts are from the journal at this period : — 
" An old woman, a house apprentice, was talking with 
me about the 1st of August. I asked her whether she would 



84 



MEMOIR OF EEY. WILLIAM JAMESON". 



remain on tlie property, or go away. She replied, * Massa, 
we heart well satisfied with you, and with the gospel which 
you preach, and we cannot leave you.' 

" A house apprentice belonging to the congregation, was 
asked by his employer how much he would require a year for 
his services. He did not know. ' For one thing, however, I 
am determined not to give up my Saturdays and Sabbaths.' 

" ' You must give up your Sabbaths, for that is the day I 
need you most.' 

" ' Well, Massa, rather than give up my Sabbaths, I will 
give up my place.' 

u i Why are you so anxious about the Sabbath V 

^' ' You white men who can read Bible, should know that 
better than I do. Does not the Bible say, Remember the 
Sabbath-day to keep it holy V 

' Oh, yes ; you go to church, I see.' 

" ' Yes, Massa.' 

" ^ You are no better of that. You are worse instead of 
better.' This person came to ask my advice, and I counselled 
him to go on as he had begun." 

Much has been spoken and written in the West Indies, in 
Great Britain, and in America, to the discredit of the emanci- 
pated people of Jamaica. Many heartless calumnies have been 
spread to the injury of their reputation, and to the lessening 
of that sympathy which once in a full tide flowed through 
the soul of the piety of Great Britain, carrying in its bosom 
death to oppression and liberty to the slave. ^ The truth, 

1 Of this we have an instance in a work of Anthony TroUope, who writes his 
travels somewhat as he writes his novels. He says that the provision grounds 
of the Jamaica negroes are " spots of land for which they either pay rent, or on 
which, as is quite as common, they have squatted without payment of any rent." 
Did Mr. Trollope not know that thousands of these spots are freeholds, and that 
they were purchased and paid for by negroes, who thus hold them in fee-simple? 
Gr, knowing this fact, did he wilfully conceal it from the readers of his book, 
and thus, in effect, bear false witness against his neighbour? What confidence 
can be put in Mr. TroUope's opinions about the brains and the souls of the 
negroes, when he shows so much ignorance about the tenure on which they hold 
their lands? The man who found out that freeholders are either rent-payers or 
squatters, must be excused for saying that the negro " addicts himself to religion 
for the sake of appearances," 



LAW OF HUMAN PROGRESS. 



85 



however, is, that the black people are just like other people. 
Their good and bad qualities, their virtues and their vices, are 
common to humanity. Depraved human nature is the same 
among them as elsewhere, and the same elsewhere as among 
them j and so is sanctified human nature. The same appear- 
ances which present themselves in other lands which have 
civil liberty and an unfettered religion, also present them- 
selves among the freedmen of the West Indies, to an extent 
proportioned to the amount and duration of their civil and 
religious privileges. Anglo-Ethiopia is an infant people j it 
needs time to grow ; it must be a child, a youth, before it 
can be a man. Guided by the light which the experience of 
other nations affords, this people ought to make more rapid 
progress than those which have had to feel, and force, and 
fight their way to honour, and liberty, and power. But all 
history teaches us that the rise of nations to intelligence, and 
virtue, and influence, is slow. Rome was not built in a 
day." There is a long interval between the acorn which the 
tiny squirrel buries in the ground^ and the gnarled oak that 
laughs at the blast. Are we to expect that a nation trained 
under slavery, shall, in one generation, free themselves from all 
the evils which slavery breeds and nurses ? Are they good for 
nothing because, trained unto evil, and destitute of aid and 
encouragement, except what the kindness of distant friends 
has afforded, they have not, in twenty-three years, shaken off 
all the vicious tendencies and habits which, common to man- 
kind, were fostered in them, to a fearful extent, by their pre- 
vious circumstances as slaves, and have not stood up adorned 
with the light of intelligence, the graces of social virtue, and 
the beauties of holiness ? Is this the law of national pro- 
gress ? What people, even in the most favourable circum- 
stances, ever made the progress which is demanded of this 
people, and the lack of which is thought by many to warrant 
their condemnation, and the condemnation of the beneficent 
measure which made them free ? In the course of this Memoir, 
testimonies in favour of the people of Jamaica will be given, 
in extracts from Mr. Jameson's letters and journal ; and we 



86 



MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



claim for him the confidence and the credit which are due to 
a v/itness of sound sense, quick observation, sincere piety, and 
unimpeachable veracity. 

From the very beginning of his labours at Goshen, Mr. 
Jameson saw the necessity of education for the young, and, 
with the aid of his devoted partner, he laboured in this de- 
partment of the work. Classes were formed for the young 
people, which, at first, met cn the Sabbaths ; and, occa- 
sionally, on other days, as was found convenient. In his 
earliest letters, Mr. Jameson dwelt on this pressing necessity, 
rendered all the more pressing, because emancipation had 
freed the children from compulsoiy labour, and they were run- 
ning about in idleness. Convinced that the work would not be 
prosperous, perfect, or permanent, unless the young were 
taught, and that the people would not become intelligent 
Christians, would fail to profit to the full by the instructions of 
the pulpit, and would want one of the most precious means of 
grace, unless a Bible-reading and Bible-loving generation were 
raised up, he, like all other enlightened missionaries, exerted 
himself, even before he had any reason to expect assistance, in 
this department of the work. 

" 6^A August . — This week, there has been an extraordinary 
crowding to the school. Thirty-five scholars have been added 
to the list, some of them as old as myself. Novelty brings 
many ; some desire to be permanent, and display anxiety to 
learn. If you could look in upon us, you would see benches 
round the room packed, and benches in the centre not less 
so, while many sit on the floor. Rude and ignorant though 
we considered them at first, and small though we considered 
their progress, yet, when brought into comparison with new 
comers, their superiority is great. I could not have imagined 
it." 

The peace and good-will which prevailed on the eventful 
1st of August still continue. Up to this time there has been 
no sound of riot or revel. The house of God is crowded, and 
the voice of prayer and praise is often heard among our people. 
The people are anxious to begin work at once, but their 



can't eat free. 



87 



masters are tardy in making arrangements with them ; and 
those who have proposed arrangements, offer wages which the 
people refuse to accept. Both sides go to excess : the people, 
by expecting too much, and the masters, by offering too little. 
Work here is heavy, and the people, if underpaid, will get 
disheartened and cease to labour, and then the employers will 
lose more than if they had been more liberal in their offers. 

" Death has been among you of late. Tender our sympathy 
to the bereaved families. Blessed are the dead who die in the 
Lord ; their sorrows are ended, their labours are closed, and 
their rest is glorious. 0 that we may live as on the brink 
of eternity ; then shall we serve the Lord better. Our good 
friend, Mr. Brydeu, desires to know our hours of meeting on 
the Lord's day. We begin at nine o'clock in the morning, and 
conclude about four. We think much of you on the Lord's 
day, and feel much happiness in the thought that we are meet- 
ing together at the throne. 

"As to the accordion which, I understand, has been talked 
about, and seriously objected to by some friends, I have to say 
that I do not intend to carry it to church. I would as soon 
take the bagpipes. I am fond of music, and desire to conse- 
crate all that I have of the gift to the glory of God, but I 
never wish to see an instrument in the Lord's house as a sub- 
stitute for my own voice." 

A few weeks later, he wrote as follows : — " The balmy days 
of ease and cessation from labour must come to an end. The 
people say, ' We can't eat free.' They now come to us to know 
what they are to do. We say, ' AVork for wages.' 

" ' True, but what wages ought we to receive V 

" ' That is a question which I cannot answer. Your masters 
only can answer it. I hope they will give you as much as 
they are able ; and this, I trust, will be as much as will make 
you comfortable. I advise, then, that you go at once to your 
masters, and tell them that you are willing to be employed, 
and ask them to state the terms on which they will employ 
you.' 

" ' Well, minister, we have been to massa, as you told us, 



88 



MEMOIE OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESOJT. 



but he offers us only two hits (9d. sterling), with houses and 
grounds, medicine and medical attendance. Our wives must 
work, and our children above ten years of age. We must 
work ten hours a day, in rain and wind, as well as sunshine, 
and this for five days a week. We are anxious to work, but 
we must live by our work. We made four hits (Is. 6d. ster- 
ling) in the apprenticeship, and why give us less when we are 
freer 

' Now, I will lay down a great principle which must guide 
you in settling this question. The master must not give you 
more than his property affords, c)lse, in a short time, the estate 
would be in ruin, and you would be without employment and 
without wages. On the other hand, the master is bound to 
give you wages worthy of your work. You must not be too 
extravagant in your demands. You must yield a part on the 
one side, if your masters yield a part on the other.' 

The weather was delightful. The cane-fields were wav- 
ing in luxuriance. The oxen were rejoicing in their freedom 
from the yoke, and too often, in their uncontrolled indulgence 
among the rich canes. The people were resting from their 
many years of toil ; and the masters were anxious that the 
resting should cease. Such was the state of things for the first 
two weeks. During the third week, the masters began to 
offer a macaroni, or Is. sterling, a day, and the people began 
to move. Some, unwilling to return to work, went about 
stating that a law was coming from the Queen to fix the rate of 
wages, and that if any one went to work before the 1st of 
November, he would be imprisoned by the Governor, and that, 
for three months, they had their houses and grounds free of 
rent. 

" At this juncture, the Governor desired the Attorney-Gene- 
ral to publish his opinion as to the law on the subject ; and 
this was, that rent could be charged for every week since the 
1st of August. Those who had been sitting at their ease 
had now to bestir themselves, to atone by their diligence for 
the past, and to keep themselves out of the hands of their 
masters. And now all is industry around us. Cheerful- 



THE SLAVE A FREE LABOUREE. 



89 



ness sits on every countenance, and peace and comfort reign 
At sunrise you hear the cry of the wain-men driving the 
sugars to the wharf ; and on all the estates around you see 
large gangs of free labourers receiving a shilling a day." 

Mr. Jameson had now to gird up his loins for a most im- 
portant and necessary work, involving great anxiety of mind, 
and great pecuniary responsibility. A permanent and sub- 
stantial place of worship was necessary, and also accommoda- 
tion for the day-school. At home, this is simply a question 
of money. If you have that, there are architects, and build- 
ers, and skilled craftsmen, ready to undertake the work. But 
abroad, the difficulties are great ; and from the want of effi- 
cient and industrious workmen, the expense of such under- 
takings is heavy. To this matter the following letter refers. 
The work being thus put into his hands, Mr. Jameson went 
about it in the spirit of faith in God, and persevered in it, 
until a plain but substantial and commodious building arose, 
beautiful for situation, surrounded with hallowed recollections, 
and destined, we trust, to be the centre of precious influences, 
and the birthplace of immortal souls for many, many gene- 
rations. 

To THE Directors of the Eose Street Missionary Society. 

" Goshen, 26tli August 1838. 
^' My DEAR Frtekds and Brethren, — Your kind conside- 
ration of our circumstances was duly brought before us by 
your respected secretary. And now I return you our best 
thanks for so promptly sending us a fellow-labourer, to aid us 
in the work of the Lord in this distant part of the vineyard. 
We long for the arrival of our brother, Mr. Moir. The Lord 
control the winds, and bridle the waves, and bring his servant 
to his work in peace ; so shall our hearts be gladdened by his 
presence among us. The Lord bless him with long life and 
vigorous health, and make him an eminent blessing to us all. 
The Lord bless you for this renewed instance of kindness, and 
supply your wants out of his riches in glory, through Christ 
Jesus. And to Himself, the fountain of all mercy, be ever- 
lasting glory ! 



90 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



" Your kind request, to be informed of the sum which the 
enlargement of the present school-house, or the building of a 
new one, might cost, was also duly brought before me. I re- 
gret my delay in replying to this kind solicitation, but I de- 
sired to inquire further into the matter, that I might bring 
before you a scheme, which circumstances daily press upon 
my attention. This is the procuring a church as well as a 
school-house. 

1. On coming to Goshen, twelve months past last February, 
I preached a considerable time in the boiling-house. Finding 
that the temporary church, promised to be erected, was car- 
ried forward neither by the estates nor by the people, and 
after making application to the managers of the estates, and 
to the people, till I was ashamed, I found it necessary, for 
the honour of the cause with which I am identified, to take 
the responsibility of the work upon myself. In humble de- 
pendence upon Him whose I am and whom I serve, T began 
the work, and, with the aid of people from Carron Hall and 
Port Maria, a shed was finished, which shelters us from the 
sun and the rain. The cost of the whole amounted fully to 
XI 00 currency. It was my original intention to keep a 
daily school at the church ; but difficulties occurring, which 
in present circumstances were unavoidable, my thoughts turned 
to some point nearer our dwelling. I applied to Goshen for 
an old pimento house in the immediate neighbourhood. I 
was told it was at my service, if I chose to be at the expense 
of fitting it up. This I did. The school continued to in- 
crease so rapidly, that I found it necessary to put a roof upon 
an old stable adjoining. Even still we are squeezed to- 
gether, unable almost to move for want of room, and to 
breathe, from heat and confinement. This department of our 
work, from the causes now mentioned, we find exceedingly 
laborious and exhausting. The daily attendance averages 
from 100 and upwards. The accommodation is fitted for 
half this number, but, unwilling to put any away, we do the 
best we can. New ones are ever coming, but for want of 
room many stay away. Fever has seized numbers, the source 



NEW CHURCH NEEDED. 



91 



of this malady having been the heat of the place. Such is 
our school. 

"2. The church is similarly situated. The people are 
packed together, and numbers are obliged to stand around 
the boards outside, so that the heat is excessive, and ren- 
dered more unbearable from the exclusion of the breeze by 
those standing outside. The roof, in many parts, has already 
begun to give way. It consists of sugar-cane tops, and can- 
not long resist the wasting influences of the climate. The 
posts which support the seats are sinking beyond their original 
level into the ground, and the boards are bending and creak- 
ing, so that the whole would require a thorough repair, cost- 
ing upwards of £20. Similar repairs will be necessary every 
year, and the people are averse to lay out their money in this 
way. They would rather pay the interest and the capital of 
a debt contracted to erect a new and substantial house which 
would secure permanence to their present privileges, and the 
transmission of them to the children. Since the 1st of Janu- 
ary, we have raised by collections in church £30, and by 
the end of the year I expect £20 more. The object of these 
collections is to pay the boards brought from town for the 
present church. When these are paid, we propose to begin 
monthly collections for a new church, and I have reason to 
believe that the people will contribute with tenfold cheerful- 
ness. 

" 3. The necessity for a church and school is so great, that 
were we to defer their erection till we raised the money, or 
were we to defer making application to home for aid till we 
raised the amount on the spot, a delay would be occasioned, 
which must prove detrimental to the cause, as well as to the 
health, if not the life, of the agents now employed, and of 
the friend and brother soon to join us. The voice of Provi- 
dence is, ' Whatever thy hand finds to do, do it with all thy 
might.' I would be glad if I could point to our building 
fund as commenced and prospering. The time of my labour 
in this field has been short, and the expenses and debt, which 
urgent circumstances have incurred, have contributed to pre- 



92 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



vent this. But the cause, I believe, has possession of the 
hearts of many of the people ; and I fear not, in a little 
time, and through the blessing of God, to be able to pay 
whatever sum may be intrusted to us. 

"4:. In applying thus formally to you, the Directors, I do 
it not expecting that, as a society, you will take up this mat- 
ter. Your exertions are already wonderful ; and were T to 
ask you to do more, I would be going beyond the limits of 
propriety. I come before you now to solicit your best advice 
and co-operation, and to put into your hands certain facts, 
to be used in whatever way your prudence may dictate. I 
earnestly ask you to state without reserve your opinions, and 
your questions, of every sort. I am stepping upon ground to 
which I am unaccustomed, but it is one to which duty calls, 
and where I may expect the direction and blessing of my 
Divine Master, and your service, co-operation, and prayers.'' 

October \st. — This month is remarkable in the history 
of freedom for a counter declaration to that of the Attorney- 
General, given by two lawyers in town, that no rent can be 
charged till i^ovember. I do not enter into the merits of the 
question. But the declaration has done no good to any but 
the idle, and no good to them. Its effect has been injurious : 
for the people do not know whom or what to believe." 

The following letter, being of a private nature, might be 
withheld, did it not breathe so rich a spirit of piety, tender- 
ness, zeal, and fidelity. The expostulations addressed to his 
youngest brother, may be, doubtless are, equally applicable to 
other young men of piety and talent, and may be the means 
of drawing out such a one to the help of the Lord in some 
field of missionary enterprise, — perhaps in Ethiopia itself, 
on whose shores the standard of the gospel is now planted, 
and through whose moral and spiritual darkness the Sun of 
Righteousness is beginning to shine. May the Lord of the 
harvest send forth hundreds of such labourers to degraded and 
enslaved Africa. 

''GosHEx, hth October 1838. 
" My dear Sisters, — You hung your harp upon the wil- 



XEED OF GOSPEL-PEEACHEES. 



93 



lows, or rather you took it down and sent lis a song of 
lamentation. Dry up your tears, my sisters, your father 
lives and triumphs ; and, best of all, our father's God lives ; 
and He has proved himself faithful who hath said, ' I will 
never leave you nor forsake you for father and mother 
having left you. He has taken you up. 

" The anniversary of our dear father's death brought with 
it many recollections which made the old wounds bleed afresh. 
I wonder not at this. But other thoughts, more consoling 
and animating, arise out of the same subject. A year in 
heaven ! How short' to him who is surrounded with its 
glories and filled with its joys, although long and lonesome 
to friends left behind to mourn their loss I Oh, how much 
has he learned in that time 1 How much has his glory in- 
creased, and how much is it ever increasing ! A year, almost 
two years, since we parted ! How much nearer are we to 
the meeting-point I Happy hour ! when death-divided friends 
shall meet to part no more. 

" I am distressed at James's resolution to go to Manchester. 
I wish he had begun his career in Perth, and remained 
under the eye of his grandfather as long as he could en- 
joy his precious instruction and advice. My dear James, I 
thought you would join me in the ministry of the gospel. 
Your father desired this, but he ceased to urge it because of 
his tenderness to you. The training which he bestowed on 
your boyhood was intended to turn your heart to this holy 
and honourable work. He also prayed for this. I had 
means of knowing all this that you had not. I am glad to 
hear of your piety, and hope it is the gracious fruit of the 
Spirit of God. May He increase it aye more and more. But, 
James, I solemnly ask. Have you made your profession the 
subject of earnest and prayerful consideration ? Do you 
avoid the ministry because of the toil necessary in preparing 
for it, or because you will be ill repaid in money for your 
time and labour I I cannot think this of you. You love 
Jesus Christ. Your heart is warmed by his love to sinners. 
Oh, then, why should you turn aside from the work of pro- 



94 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



claiming this love to a perishing world 1 You say that there 
is already plenty of preachers. Far from the truth. If 
your views be bounded by the British coast, and if you take 
as your pattern the hangers on for churches at home, there 
may be some truth in your statement. But when you regard 
the world as the field, and look at the small amount of agency 
employed for its conversion, the statement is absolutely ridi- 
culous. Jamaica itself would employ the greater part of the 
unemployed. There may be plenty of bankers and manufac- 
turers, but there is an incalculable want of the ministers of 
reconciliation. There is, at this moment, a pressing call for 
such in this country. The education which you have already 
received will secure you an extensive field of usefulness here ; 
and, under the inspection of the Presbytery, you can carry 
forward your studies, and be licensed and ordained in due 
time. As to your health, there is every prospect of its being 
much better here than in a mercantile house in Manchester. 
Your constitution is well fitted for this country ; and the 
pleasure of laying out your talents and your acquirements in 
bringing the children of Ethiopia to God, will be much greater 
than buying and selling for a master for even .£500 a year. 
Think then, my dear brother, on these things." 

James Kerr Jameson, to whom these sentences were specially 
addressed, was the youngest of the family. When only three 
weeks old, he was left motherless, and was an object of peculiar 
interest and solicitude to his affectionate father. The Rev. 
George Gilfillan says, " He grew up into a very promising 
and excellent young man. He became a banker, first in Man- 
chester, and then in Hanley, where he was the principal founder 
of the Presbyterian Church, now under the charge of Mr. Mar- 
tyn, and where, till his death, he continued a most efficient 
member. Mr. Martyn preached his funeral sermon. It de- 
lightfully attested the effects of Jameson's piety and prayers 
on his youngest child." A portion of Mr. Marty n's sermon 
is appended to the third edition of the " Remains of the late 
Rev. John Jameson." There are several touching references 
to James in that fragrant casket of ^' Remains/' which has 



AERIVAL OF ME. MOIR. 



95 



afforded sweet and genuine comfort to mourners in the hour of 
anguish. 

An unknown friend having offered to the Eose Street Mis- 
sionary Association the sum of £50 annually, for five years, 
either in support of their present missionary engagements, or in 
furtherance of some new scheme, the directors unanimously 
agreed to recommend that a catechist or teacher should be sent 
to assist Mr. Jameson, provided funds could be raised, in addi- 
tion to former contributions, sufficient for the salary of such an 
agent. The recommendation was brought under the notice of 
the friends of the mission at the aimual missionary social 
meeting ; and, in a short time, subscriptions were offered which 
were deemed sufficient. The proposed measure was, therefore, 
carried into effect, and from among five candidates Mr. David 
Moir was chosen. He arrived in Jamaica in October, 1838. 

Mr. Moir entered on his important work with the utmost zeal, 
and during the time he was Mr. Jameson's coadjutor, nobly 
seconded his efforts for the good of the people. The fruits of Mr. 
Moir's labours still live abundantly in that district. On the Sab- 
bath after his arrival, Mr. Jameson invited the people to prepare 
a place beside the church, in which Mr. Moir might carry on his 
school. They cordially entered into the work. So hearty were 
they, that some came before the pulpit, and others stood up in 
different parts of the church, offering their services. The school 
had outgrown the accommodation, and a part of the scholars 
used to assemble under the spreading boughs of a neighbouring 
tree. On Saturday morning, old and young came out, when 
some dug holes for the posts, others went into the wood to cut 
and carry timbers, others gathered grass for thatch, and others 
prepared the rough timbers and fixed them. In a few Saturdays 
the shed was finished. " What reason," writes Mr. Jameson, 
" have we to thank God, and take courage ! At first, the 
people would do nothing without wages ; now, they are happy 
to help in any way the cause of Christ among us." 

Mr. Jameson, relieved of the school, was now able to devote 
himself to other work. He writes : — I visit the estates to 
instruct those who are at work. Last week, I went to an estate, 



96 



MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



at the earnest request of the overseer. In teaching the children, 
I found that none of them could answer a single question. One 
boy from a neighbouring estate, under my care, repeated some 
of the things he had learned, and read a few verses in the New 
Testament. I said, ' Why does this boy read, and know so 
much, while all the rest are as ignorant as the mule 1, ' They 
knew why, and looked at one another. I went on to Pembroke 
Hall, and had a large meeting of old and young. The people had 
just finished their work, and came to get a word from minister. 
On the way^ I met Mr. Cowan and a teacher who has come to 
begin operations in Bagnold's Yale, sent by the Mico Institute 
in Kingston. The Lord is opening up streams in the desert. 
,Glory be to His name." 

These efforts to teach the young were not pleasing to the 
planters. They made a rule on some of the estates near, that 
all above ten years of age should pay rent, unless they did work ; 
and some were ordered off, because they preferred the school to 
the field. At one place, Mr. Moir was interrupted by several 
whites, one of them being the overseer, who complained that 
the bigger boys and girls did nothing, and said, that unless the 
missionary got them to labour three days of the week gratui- 
tously, he would shut the school. Addressing one of the boys, 
he said, Sir, if ever I see you set your foot in the school again, 
or upon this estate, I will make you be taken to Port Maria 
jail." Such interference was inconsistent with the freedom 
which these people now possessed. They had a right, surely, 
to send their children to school, if they chose to do so, rather 
than to the field. The missionaries were most anxious to be on 
friendly terms with the managers of the estates ; but they could 
not descend to be their tools. The vexatious means which the 
former adopted to coerce the people, only injured the properties. 
Had a more generous policy been tried, the people would have 
been bound to them ; but, instead of this, they were driven off, 
and now are, in great numbers, independent freeholders. 

Novembe}^ 1838. — For some time I have been examin- 
ing my people with a view to the ordinance of the Lord's 
Supper, and have been much pleased at the extent and ac- 



A BACKSLIDER. 



97 



curacy of the knowledge which, some have acquired. I can- 
not speak with certainty as to the sanctified effect of this 
knowledge. I hope, but that is all. Some, of whom my 
opinion was most favourable, have disappointed me, and this 
makes me cautious. Blessed be God ! that a minister's com- 
fort depends not on sight, but on faith, not on seeing the 
fruits of his labours, but on believing the promise of him who 
cannot lie, that these labours shall not be in vain. Some 
have been cut off from the list for returning to the sinful 
ways of the country. One married man affords a melancholy 
example of a class, alas ! too numerous. He was in full 
communion with the church at Port Maria for many years, 
high in profession, and high in the confidence of both minis- 
ter and people. I looked to him for efficient help in my 
labours, and he seemed most happy when aiding the cause 
of Christ. Some months ago, • reports unfavourable to his 
character reached me. I was slow to believe them. At 
length, they came through a channel which rendered instant 
inquiry necessary. On examining into the state of his family, 
I found religion, on his part, much on the decline : his hours 
late ; his habits irregular ; the company he kept the very re- 
verse of what it ought to be, and of what it once was. The 
session of Port Maria saw it dutiful to remove him from the 
midst of us. Recent events show the propriety of this step. 
The sin, which before was secret, is now openly and unblush- 
ingiy acknowledged. These things we must look for. There 
are ever some rocky ground hearers, who in the time of 
temptation fall away. 

" A few evenings ago, I had a meeting in the house of one 
of my people. After we had concluded, the people seemed 
all very happy and delighted. One of them said to me : — 
* Minister, w^e are very happy when you come among us. 
We had no such thing as this before ; the people spent their 
evenings in dancing and riot, and their Sabbaths in walking 
about ; but now, all stay at home at night, attending to 
religion, and spend their Sabbaths in the church.' " 

The following shows the kind of influence exercised by 

G 



98 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



the missionary over his people, and the results of that in- 
fluence : — 

" Last night, a man came to me with a paper. It was a 
charge for two weeks' rent, amounting to six shillings. ' Well, 
Richard, is this a just debt ] Whether would you have your 
house and grounds without rent, as a slave, or have them 
with rent as a free man ] Rent can be paid only in one of 
two ways, — either by money or by work. Now, have you 
paid it during the last two weeks, in work V ' No, Minister, 
I was working out.' ' Well, then, the estate is just charging 
you that additional sixpence wliich you got by working out. 
The charge is just. You owe the debt, and Christ desires 
you not to get out of it in any dishonourable way. I advise 
you to go to-morrow morning, and pay the money, and go to 
work, and get your shilling a day. You will then have twenty 
pounds currency, with houses and grounds, and no rent to pay ; 
and, by the blessing of God, you will live in peace and com- 
fort.' ' Minister, I will do as you bid me. I do not wish to 
go away. I once thought of going, but I cannot leave my 
church and you.' Our church and school have been blessed 
of Grod for securing the continuance of the people on their re- 
spective properties. Since the 1st of August, many have been 
restless. Dissatisfied with their present houses, they are going 
about in quest of what they consider better settlements. The 
estates on which I labour have been troubled, more or less, 
with this evil. But I believe that our church and school 
have tended materially to counteract this spirit, they being 
the centre of a powerful attraction, settling many in content- 
ment, who would, otherwise, have been carried away with the 
current, drawing many to the neighbourhood who had left 
their former residences, and bringing back others who, in the 
first excitement of freedom, had taken their departure from 
our midst. Many say, * We love our church, we wish the 
education of our children, and we cannot leave you.' Some 
of those who returned said, ' We could have got work else- 
where, and been among our friends, but we want to be near 
minister.' One man said to me that he had gone to town to 



ESTABLISHED SECTARIANISM. 



99 



try how work would do there. ' I lived tliere three weeks, 
but returned, for I was anxious to be near my church.' An 
elderly woman said, ' I want to leave the estate, and indeed 
I would not care where I go, were it not that I cannot think 
of going far from you.' ' Minister,' they say, ' if you had 
not come among us, things would not have been so well on 
the 1st of August. The word you tell us makes our hearts 
soft, and we cannot think of doing wrong thing.' " 

Jamaica has a church established by law. The Epis- 
copalian section receives nearly ^40,000 sterling annually 
from the island revenues. There have been among the 
rectors and curates some who obeyed and preached the gospel, 
and were not ashamed to co-operate with the servants of 
Jesus in the other sections. Others are Puseyites. One 
Sabbath, in November, 1838, lsh\ Jameson had preached at 
IVIiddlesex. On his way home, he met some persons, and 
asked them if they had been at church. They said they had 
been at father Whyte's, at Halifax. " Who is father Whyte V 

" A black brother, to whom Mr. 0 , the curate, gave 

his books when he went away." " But do you think that 
the Sabbath wiU be as profitably spent at father Whyte's as 
at Lucky Hill Church '1 Do you think that father Whyte is 
as able to instruct you as I am 1" " No, Massa." Then, 
why do you spend your Sabbaths in the negro house, seeking 
instruction to guide you to happiness in time and in eternity, 
from one who is not qualified to instruct ? I do not wish 
you to change your religion, if Church of England, or ^ Church 
of Light,' as you call it, or if Baptist, or Methodist ; I do not 
wish you, unless you choose, to become Presbyterian. But I 
certainly desire that you should come to my church, except 
when your own ministers are with you," 

I am sorry to have to lay the blame of this pernicious sys- 
tem upon the minister rather than the people. During the 
time he was iu this quarter, he busied himself in declaiming 
against me. When he left, he warned the people against join- 
ing my church. And to secure his object, he chose out a per- 
son on each property where his influence extended, and installed 



100 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON, 



him as the spiritual guide of the people. If any of my people 
invite them to Lucky Hill church, they reply that they are for- 
bidden to come. Such is the character of the zeal of some who 
ascribe divine efficacy to the touch of a bishop's fingers, who 
describe as hirelings those who are not thus touched, and who 
warn the people against us as fit only to give a little instruc- 
tion which cannot convert. In their newspaper, the country is 
warned against those sectaries who come in shoals from the 
shores of Britain, who are a curse to the country, men igno- 
rant of all literature, sacred and secular. The country is called 
upon to resist them, and drive them from the island. This 
paper is the organ of the Established section, and is conducted 
by one of their parsons, who was missioned from his own coun- 
try to preach peace and good- will. But facts which disprove 
these empty assertions, are as widely known as the assertions 
themselves. Their style of action is to be regretted, because of 
the injury which it inflicts on the Kedeemer s cause : for it too 
often, and not unnaturally, happens that parsons' fighting is the 
planters' mirth." 

Mr. Jameson was sometimes requested to administer the 
ordinance of baptism to the oftspring of connexions unsanctioned 
by marriage. "Beastly concubinage" was, and still is, too 
much the order of the day in Jamaica, even among the upper 
classes. The following is a specimen. " Sir, through the 
grace of God, be kind enough to baptize this unfortunate ille- 
gitimate child, and oblige one who was brought up a Presby- 
terian." Shame on you, and on thousands like you ! A dis- 
grace to their country are many Britons who go abroad to 
heathen lands or British colonies. While the capital and the 
commerce which pass through their hands are a power in all 
places, yet their lives and lips too much testify against the 
blessed religion of God. 

Writing to Mr. M'Gilchrist, on the 20th of November, 1838, 
Mr. Jameson says : — "I have now to sing of another mercy. 
The Lord never wearies in doing good to the unthankful and to 
the evil. He crowns us with his tender mercies, and is ever 
putting a new song in our mouth. On the 14th day of this 



NEGEOES NOT UNSETTLED. 



101 



month, Mrs. Jameson was safely delivered of a fine healthy 
daughter, and both are doing well." 

He also alludes to the state of matters among the freed 
peasantry, defending them, and apologizing for them in the 
peculiar circumstances in which they were placed. His re- 
marks are just as well as generous. That so much should have 
been made of the unsteadiness of the newly free, merely showed 
that the supporters of slavery had neither conscience nor heart. 
The same may be said of many in America, in Britain, and in 
the West Indies at this day. 

I see by the papers that gloomy hints are abroad connected 
with the affairs here, while the brighter accounts are kept out 
of view. The state of the question, as I understand it, is this : 
Since the 1st of August, matters have not proceeded so smoothly 
as could have been desired ; but far more so than from the 
nature of the case coidd have been expected. Those who ex- 
pected that the freed population would take their hoes and re- 
sume their toil on the day of the week, or even in the month, 
when their chains were broken, expected what would be 
accounted extravagance in people at home placed in like circum- 
stances. How long is it after a coronation, a market, a Christ- 
mas, ere the tradesman settles down to his duties, or the school- 
boy to his lessons 1 And why should the negro be expected to 
return to his drudgery the moment he is a freeman ? Do we 
blame the school-boy because he does not return the first day 
after his vacation 1 or do we wonder at his buoyancy of spirit, 
when he rises on the first morning of his vacation, and finds 
himself free from his books, and at liberty to wander where he 
chooses 1 Why should we blame the negro 1 Why wonder at his 
buoyancy of spirit, when he rises on the first bright morning of 
freedom, and finds the whip laid aside for ever, the voice of the 
shell silent, and the chain which bound him broken ? Is it not 
natural that he should hasten to see his friends, who were sold 
in the days of slavery, and cruelly torn from him, to toil in some 
distant part of the island 1 Let the negro alone. He will soon 
return to his old quarters, glad of rest and settlement, as the 
school-boy gladly sets himself down on his old bench after the 



102 



MEMOIE OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON, 



vacation ends. The first excitements of freedom have passed, 
and the people are returning. They fondly cling to the estates 
on which they were born, and to the soil on which they spent 
their early days. The fact that many of them have exhausted their 
strength on this property endears the spot. An old negro 
said to me the other day, ^ Massa, I have bought a little pro- 
perty, and I might go and live there, but my cocoa-nut tree is 
on Goshen, and I was born there. In my garden, my wife, my 
sons, and daughters lie buried ; the sweat of my face has 
dropped on its earth ; I am getting old, and I cannot leave the 
spot where my strength is, and where all my joys and my sor- 
rows have been.' The feeling of this old negro is the feeling 
of all. There is nothing on earth more distressing to the negro 
than to be driven from his birthplace, his friends, and his pro- 
vision grounds." 

At length, the missionary has the happy privilege of seeing 
some to whom he can give the right hand of fellowship. He 
has not been in haste to administer the ordinance of the Lord's 
Supper. But now he looks forward to it. In a letter to Mr. 
Bryden, 4th December, 1838, he says : — I have not yet fixed 
the day when our first communion will be dispensed. I see 
every day greater need for caution, for the Lord is showing me 
that those in whom I placed most confidence, are the very per- 
sons in whom I ought to have placed the least ; and thus I feel 
perplexed about the matter. The Lord will guide. Pray for 
us. Last Sabbath, I rebuked and suspended a number for 
dancing, who were coming forward to the Lord's Supper ; and 
some of them are among the most intelligent of my people. On 
Monday morning, early, a man came to the house, telling me 
that some of the people had had a fight, arising from a dispute, 
after service on Sabbath. These had also been conversing with 
me, and seemed quiet, decent people. But the Lord is sifting 
us, and setting up marks to keep me right." 

" December. — Mr. Moir's Sabbath-school advances prosper- 
ously. The new shed is full, yea, overflowing. Two hundred 
young people, whose regular instruction on the Sabbath I could 
not overtake before, are now classed, are learning, and following 



SCHOOLS PEOSPEEIXG. 



103 



those who are more advanced. Were you to transport your- 
selves to Lucky Hill church on Saljbath morning, at ten o'clock, 
and see 200 children busy with their reading lessons ; at eleven 
o'clock, and see them busy with their questions and their diffe- 
rent religious exercises j and at twelve, and see them march in 
silence, and in order, from their school-shed to the chmx-h, your 
souls would magnify the Lord for all that he has enabled you 
to do for us here." 

At this period, Mr. Jameson and Mr. Moir went one day in 
the week to two estates in Bagnolds, to teach the children. 
There was also a daily school at Mile-End, taught by a native 
of Jamaica. And so busy were all, that, at the end of 1838, 
there were about 370 children enjoying some amount of educa- 
tional privilege. Those only who, by experience, know the 
fatigue of a long ride, and an hour or two of vigorous effort to 
instruct young people, and, far more, old people, who have grown 
up without early tuition, and all this under the enervating sky 
of the tropics, can fully appreciate the energy and zeal which 
such labours implied. The chmx*hes of all denominations have 
gTeat cause to bless God for the valuable reapers — some of them 
still alive — whom they were honoured to send out to the v^hite 
harvest of these earlier days of the mission. They were blessed 
with much success ; and, if one asks where the proof is, we 
answer. The numerous churches at various stages of intellectual 
and spiritual culture, which are to be foimd in Jamaica and other 
West Indian Islands. May these first fruits be followed by a 
yet more plenteous ingathering ; may the hopes excited by these 
earlier triumphs be realized an hundred-fold I 

At Christmas, the school was examined. The white people 
present were surprised at the progress which had been made in 
so short a time. The black part of the audience seemed much 
dehghted with the picaninies. 

" During Christmas there is no work. People are hurrying 
to town to see and hear. Pigs are screaming in every quarter 
under the knife of death; and all are determined to enjoy the 
^ free ' at Christmas-time. AU is sobriety and order. I have 
seen no djunkenness." 



104 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



" Certain musicians came to Bagnold's Vale, expecting the 
welcome reception of former times. At one property, they tuned 
their instruments, and began. Some gathered round to hear, 
but Mr. Moir made his appearance, and they dispersed. In the 
evening, the performers renewed their attempt on the steps of 
the Busha's house. A Lucky Hill Presbyterian, imbued some- 
what with the spirit of other days, came forward with a club, 
and knocked the end out of the drum, and silenced the fiddle 
with a blow. John, however, did not escape without a scar. 
The musicians beat him lustily. However, he was comforted 
by knowing that he had suffered in a good cause." 

At the end of nearly two years of labour, the following sta- 
tistics were given : — Average attendance, 600 ; catechumens, 
204 ; marriages, 42 ; adults reading in the Old Testament, 10 ; 
adults reading in the 'New, 50 ; children in Sabbath classes, 
240. 



MEETING OF PEESBYTEEY. 



10-5 



CHAPTER V. 

The Jamaica Academy — Anglo-Ethiopia, a lever to raise Africa— Goshen congre- 
gation formed — Wonderful deliverance — Xo iDartisan — The negroes on strike — 
Teaching the difference between mine and thine — Massa and the people at logger- 
heads — Church formed— Sets about building — Munificence of proprietors — Mr. 
Barkly — Light of the dwelling extinguished — Particulars of Mrs. Jameson's death- 
Verses by Mrs. Jameson — Mr. Barkly lays the foundation-stone of the new church 
— Bonham Spring — Touching retrospect. 

New Year's-day, 1839, was spent in the churcli. Mr. Moir 
addressed the children, and Mr. Jameson the married people on 
the duties of husband and wife. A church and school building 
society was formed, and 194 persons put down their names as 
contributors. 

The Jamaica Missionary Presbytery met at Port j\Iaria in 
January. It was a refreshing season to the brethren. At one 
of their sittings, they had the happiness of welcoming the Eev. 
Mr. Scott, a new missionary, who had just arrived. In a letter 
to Mr. M'Gilchrist, January 30, 1839, we find an allusion to 
the academy for training natives of Jamaica for the service of 
the mission there. The results of this institution have been 
very valuable. It has furnished most of our mission schools 
with efficient teachers, and some of these again have been 
trained for the higher office of the ministry of the gospel by the 
Theological Tutor (Eev. Alexander Eenton), with whom the 
liberality of the Church has also gifted her daughter in the West 
Indies. This academy, which has, from its very commencement 
till now, been conducted by Mr. Millar, with remarkable vigour 
and success, was begun at Bonham Spring, an out-station of 
Goshen, and, after a time, transferred to Mont ego Bay. 

" The hearts of the Presbytery are set on an academy for 



106 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



training young men for the ministry, with a view to Africa and 
the islands around us. I hope Christians at home will aid us 
in the work. The desire and the determination of the Presby- 
tery are to dispense, as little as possible, with any part of that 
course of preparation which is considered indispensable at home. 
We think that this course ought to be extended rather than 
shortened, and that what is necessar}^ to enlarge, as well as 
simplify the views of a home minister, is more necessary for a 
minister here. To say that a man of learning is requisite for 
the ministry at home, but that any kind of man will do for the 
poor ignorant negroes, is to say what is not true. A preacher 
at home may throw out to an audience the crude views of an 
illiterate mind, without damage to any one but himself ; but to 
settle such a one here would be to risk immortal souls." 

The academy was commenced with a view to both Jamaica 
and Africa. The brethren sought to attempt great things for 
God and for Ethiopia. They looked upon Ethiopia in the west 
as a means of reaching the heart of the great mother-land of the 
black-face. 

They wanted to regard Jamaica as a depot in which to find 
storming parties to assail the devil's strongholds in Africa. 
They thought of the churches of Christ throughout the world 
sending to them for men, and, at their call, men of Ethiopian 
race, well qualified and trustworthy, going forth to the work. 
The forlorn hope has, to a great extent, been formed of Euro- 
peans, who are seeking a lodgment and a base of operation 
on the shore of Africa. And who knows whether the antici- 
pations under which the brethren sought to establish their 
academy, may not be yet realized ^ One of their objects has 
been accomplished, for the mission schools in Jamaica are 
taught, and well taught, by natives. Another is in a fair way 
of being attained. Several natives who have been trained in 
the island, are about to be introduced into the ministry of the 
gospel. And who knows, but that, at no distant day, labourers 
of the right kind may be chosen by the Lord from the Jamaica 
churches, to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ among the 
tribes of their father-land ! Surely ten millions of Africa's 



THE JAMAICA ACADEMY. 107 

children are not in the west for nothing, or only to make sugar 
and rum, and to grow cotton. He who prepared Israel in the 
iron furnace, is doubtless preparing, in the West Indies and 
America, a powerful agency to act upon deeply degraded Africa. 
We, in our short-sightedness, are so impatient to see the fruit of 
our labours, that we lose patience with the unobsen^ed, and 
frequently unobservable, majestic march of the plan of God, 
An impatient child, dissatisfied with the slow growth of his little 
garden plot, just as his young flowers are sprouting, pulls them 
up to see how they are growing, or leaves the whole to the 
weeds, and makes a garden in another spot. The foolish child 
loses much of his labour by such impatience. Even the growth 
of a flower or vegetable proceeds heedless of man's impetuosity. 
How much more the growth of the kingdom of God '1 And 
why do churches act over again the silly child, in the manage- 
ment of their mission gardens 1 Yerily, were it not for the 
Great Husbandman above, the unreasoning haste with which, 
in some cases, infant churches are left to shift for themselves, 
would be the means of spoiling all. Such a mode of acting is, 
to use Mr. Jameson's words, " to take the ark from j\Ioses, and 
leave the deliverer of Israel to perish in the helplessness of in- 
fancy ; it is to deny Samson a mother's care, without which 
his gigantic strength cannot be niu-sed." Take care of the child ; 
train him for his future work ; teach him to look forward to 
it ; and when God's auspicious hour arrives, he ^-ill command 
his strength, and an inspiration from on high wiU move him to 
the enterprise of his mission. He will go forth to the help of 
the Lord against the mighty, and ^' Ethiopia shall soon stretch 
out her hands unto God." At the same time, we must pray to 
the Lord to raise up labourers in our little churches in Ethiopia 
herself. If we could get properly fitted men there, they would, 
in many respects, be the best of pioneers. But we must levy 
contributions from all quarters. The British missionary, with 
his broader training and his self-reliance, with his experience 
and his knowledge, must lead the van. The West Indies and 
America must give the cream of their Ethiopian talent, and 
piety, and self-devotion ; and our infant churches in Africa 



108 



MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESOJ^". 



must also contribute their share, however humble, and however 
scanty, to the great enterprise. There is room for all ; there is 
need for all. Standing on the edge of this dense jungle, this 
interminable and entangled continent of bush, we, the vanguard 
of the Lord's army of Ethiopia, wonder whether it shall ever 
become a field which the Lord blesses. When this desert shall 
rejoice and blossom as the rose,— when Ethiopia shall be seen 
sitting in the heavenly places of the church of Jesus, dispossessed, 
redeemed, washed, raising her dusky brow and swimming eyes 
to the Lord who has pitied her, and with outstretched hands 
laying her tribute at his feet, — siirely there will be heard in 
heaven hallelujahs as loud and rapturous as when it shall be 
said, " Lo ! these from the land of Sinim ! " 

Thus did Mr. Jameson first mention the mission to Africa, 
which has since become a fact : — " The people's hearts are 
turning towards Africa. They are earnestly pressing us to send 
a missionary thither. We all agree : and, ere long, I hope our 
church here will apply for a missionary from home, or appoint 
one of our brethren to go for us to the land of Ethiopia. Our 
ambition is to send the first well-educated native missionary to 
that field of labour." 

Two-and-twenty years have passed, and this aspiration re- 
mains still unrealized. Yet it is gratifying that two educated 
and ordained natives of Jamaica have gone to Western Africa, 
in connexion with the Baptist mission. One of these, the Kev. 
Joseph Merrick, died at Bimbia, much and justly regretted ; 
the other is the Rev. Mr. Pinnock, who went out in 1857. 

At that meeting of Presbytery, it was agreed that the adhe- 
rents of the mission at Goshen should be formed into a congre- 
gation ] and Messrs. Blyth and Anderson being appointed to 
aid in that transaction, went with Mr. Jameson from the Pres- 
bytery on their way home. " On the fourth Sabbath of 
January, 1839, the relation of minister and people was 
solemnly declared by Mr. Blyth, in the manner usual among 
Presbyterians. The ordinance of baptism was administered 
among us for the first time. My own child was the first 
offered to the Lord in our church. This was its first outset 



EIEST BAPTISM. 



109 



from the house in which it was boiHj its first journey in this 
vale of tetirs, long enough for one so tender, and not without its 
dangers. When starting from the house, on the way to the 
church, the wheel of the gig, with which we had been favoured 
for the occasion, came into contact with the gate-post. The 
shafts were broken in two, and, in a moment, the vehicle 
was precipitated to the ground. Angels, the guardian spirits 
of the heirs of salvation, were in attendance. The mother and 
the tender babe escaped unhurt, and we brought the child, 
rescued from destruction, and gave her to the Lord, soul and 
body, for time and for eternity. It was a new situation for 
Mrs. Jameson and myself, but it was not the less interesting 
that it was our own child, in the midst of our own people — 
the people we were gathering to the Lord — and the public 
recognition of our own God, and our fathers' God in a foreign 
land. It was a hallowed day ; many an arousing word, and 
many a soothing and comforting word were spoken ; it was the 
first sermon I had listened to in my own church, and the first 
Sabbath I enjoyed the satisfaction of being a hearer since I 
came to Jamaica." 

With all his zeal and energy, Mr. Jameson was distinguished 
for prudence and thoughtfulness. He was not easily carried 
away by appearances, but was alive to the real state of matters, 
and to w^hat was for the true and permanent interests of the 
people. He lamented waywardness and want of principle among 
them, not less, perhaps more, than injustice and harshness among 
the planters, and impartially sought, on all proper occasions, to 
teach both parties the way of rectitude. On the 30th January, 
he wrote to Mr. M^Gilchrist : — " I have tried to show you the 
working of freedom as it is ; its bright and its dark sides, that 
you may judge of matters for yourself, and that you may see 
the line of policy I have been led to pursue. I hope it will 
meet with your approbation. I wish to stand wholly out from 
parties, and to adhere to righteousness, and to lead my people 
in peace along its paths. I have been successful in some good 
measure in this, although it has been many times a hard task. 
The more popular way would have been to identify myself wholly 



110 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



with the people, to support them in measures reasonable and 
unreasonable, just and unjust, through good and through bad 
report, but I desire a conscience void of offence towards God 
and towards men." 

In his journal he writes : — " This is the third week of cessa- 
tion from labour, and the people appear disinclined to resume 
their work. Upon inquiry, I find that they are waiting for a 
new law from the Queen, to the effect that they shall not work 
in summer for the same wages as in winter. This strike is too 
general. I have gone round the district and showed to as 
many as I could meet, the impolicy and impropriety of this. I 
told them that they had not needed to stop working in order 
that the ' free' should come. Their working had rather helped 
it on. If any other law, then, is coming, it will come not the 
less surely and speedily that they keep busy at their work. 
Besides, if they knew the difficulty which their friends had ex- 
perienced in getting the rate of wages raised to what it was, 
they would not be anxious to disturb the question so soon after 
its settlement." 

This week (the fourth), the people have taken our advice 
at last, and turned out to their work. The country again 
assumes the appearance of life and activity. The fields are 
again awake, and the face of society puts on a more promising 
aspect." 

" Visited a sick person, and saw a quantity of sugar-cane in 
a corner. The daughter, a little girl, saw me fixing my eye on 
the cane, and shrunk back, squeezing her hand over her mouth, 
knowing that her mother was caught in a fault. 

^ Well, Mrs. , did this cane grow in your garden 1 ' 

" ' ISTo, minister.' 

" * How did you get it ? Did you cut it V 
" ' Oh, no, my minister, me just beg the wain-man as he was 
passing.' 

" ^ Who was the wain-man V 
" 'Jock Whitter.' 

" ' Well, I met Jock a few weeks ago, riding on a mule, and I 
asked him, " Jock, where have you been V I was at massa's, " 



MIXE AND THIXE. 



said Jock, " for money to pay the people, and I am riding home 
as fast as I can, lest somebody rob me in the dark." " Very 
good, Jock," said I, " take as good care of the money as if it 

were yom' own." Kow, Mrs. , if I had said to Jock, 

" Brother, give me a little of this money — a dollar or so," would 
I have done right ] ' 

" ' He 1 he 1 he ! no, minister, no I that never do.' 
* If Jock had taken out a dollar and given me, would he 
have done right ? ' 

' Xo, minister, that very bad.' 
" ' Well then, what difference would there have been, in God's 
sight, between my asking, and Jock's giving me his master's 
[j money, and your asking, and Jock's giving you his master's 
cane '? And ought not I to have returned the money I And 
ought not you to return the cane ? ' 

" As I was standing with some persons, expostulating with 

them about the same thing, ]\Irs. 's daughter passed ^ith 

the canes to restore them to the owner. 

The country, at the present moment, is the scene of inter- 
minable confusion. ISTobody knows what is law, or not law. 
The local magistrates support the interests of the planters ; the 
stipendiary magistrates are on the side of the people. The 
contest assumes the appearance of a game at draughts, a 
struggle for mastery rather than righteousness. The Attorney- 
General says one thing ; some lawyers in town say another, 
and the opposite ; and authorities in England, the Attorney and 
Solicitor- General, disagree with the highest law authority in 
the island. Thus we are driven to silence from a respect to our 
character and office. It is high time that Britain demanded 
from some quarter a code of righteous laws for her emancipated 
colonies. The people are willing to work, and do work, but 
; they and their masters are ever disputing, and there is no law 
j to appeal to. "What would be the state of society at home if 
j the question of rent and occupation were unsettled, and families 
were liable to be turned adiift on the world, at a week's notice, 
the doors locked, and the provision-grounds destroyed, — if wife 
and. children were to be charged rent equally with the husband 



112 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



and ttie father, — if the child at school were charged rent, 
and were liable to be hindered from prosecuting his education, 
yea, to be driven from under the parental roof 1 Whilst this 
has been done in some quarters, I must say that it has not 
been general, in so far as I know ; but the fact that it can 
be done shows in what confusion we are at present. Masters, 
too, are fully as much oppressed as the people. Their ripe 
canes are often not cut ; their young canes not cleaned ; the 
cattle have been allowed to range at large in the luxuriant 
fields ; future crops have not been planted ; many work when 

they like, and sit down when they like If ever 

Jamaica required the prayers of the Church, and the watch- 
ful eye of the Church and of British philanthropy j if ever 
prudence and discretion were needed to guide, it is at this 
moment." 

The gospel had now been preached for two years at 
Goshen and among the surrounding properties by this zealous 
labourer, and the word of God had not returned unto him 
void. The Lord had given the increase. Sinners had been 
brought to the Saviour. They had been carefully instructed, 
in order that their piety might rest on the foundation of a 
correct knowledge of the truth. Mr. Jameson had not 
hastily admitted any to the fellowship of the church, nor did 
he admit indiscriminately all who sought admission. After 
anxious and prayerful inquiry, thirty-two were selected from 
among the candidates. On Saturday, the 9th March, 1839, 
these were received into the fellowship of the visible church of 
Jesus Christ, and Mr. Moir was ordained as an elder. Mem- 
bers of the church at Carron Hall were present on the Sab- 
bath ; and upwards of 100 sat together at the table of the 
Lord. " It was," writes Mr. Jameson, " an interesting and 
solemn season — a season which will be remembered through 
eternity. ^ Massa,' said one, ^ we never thought to see such 
a day ; we thought our children's children might see it, but 
not we.' Another said, ' We could sit there for ever.' Some 
who were detained by sickness, were grieved at being absent ; 
but they said that it pleased God and they were pleased." 



FIRST COMMUNION. 



113 



The follovring (19tli Marcti, 1839) gives an interesting 
account of the work at that period : — 

" The school is succeeding far beyond my most sanguine 
expectations. There are 246 on the list, and 200 attend 
daily. Our room at the Pen became far too small. Mr. 
Moir kept school under the shelter of a lofty tree, but this 
being inconvenient, we removed to the church, and since then 
the school has increased by dozens at a time. The people 
say they cannot get a picaniny (little child) to go a message 
for them ; they are all at school together. Some come a 
distance of seven miles, and return in the afternoon. Those 
who live farther away, bring their food with them, and sleep 
at the Pen, while some who cannot be accommodated, live 
with friends in the neighbourhood. Mr. Moir is everything 
we could wish. 

"To hear their children read, sing hymns, repeat the 
catechisms, and say their prayers, is far beyond what the 
parents expected. When the father comes home from work, 
and the child from school, the latter must take his book and 
read, whUe the former listens as to an oracle. In various 
cases known to us, the child gathers the family together be- 
fore going to bed, and is their mouth at the footstool of God. 
It is common in the congregation for the children to read and 
sing, and the father to pray." 

It now became necessary to set about the building of a house 
of prayer in good earnest. The saying of the Duke of Welling- 
ton, If you want a thing well done, you must do it yourself," 
has special force in Jamaica, and, indeed, in aU mission spheres. 
The building of such a house was not easy in the interior parts 
of Jamaica. The house proposed was calculated to cost £1200, 
but it was not finished for less than £2000. To find the 
money, to collect the materials, to hire the workmen, and then 
to superintend the work, were enough to fill one man's hands. 
But when he had also to superintend, and take part in, aU the 
duties of Christian instruction, over a district two or three 
times as large as an ordinary Scotch parish, and to act as pastor 
of an infant church, we cannot but admire the energy of wHl, 



114 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON^. 



the perseverance in action, and the simplicity of faith which it 
was given him to exhibit. 

The committee of the Rose Street Society, anxious to further 
the work, promised such assistance as was within their power, 
and also opened a correspondence with the proprietors of the 
Trinity estates, laying before them extracts from Mr. Jameson's 
letters, to inform them of what he was doing at Goshen and its 
neighbourhood. These gentlemen, while, being Episcopalians, 
they would have preferred a church in their own connexion, 
yet, in the most generous manner, agreed to aid Mr. Jameson's 
efforts. As Mr. Barkly — now Sir Henry Barkly, formerly 
Governor of Jamaica, now of Victoria — was then visiting the 
West Indies, they expressed their satisfaction that they would 
thus have the opportunity of obtaining correct information on 
the subject, and of becoming acquainted with Mr. Jameson and 
his labours. 

Mr. Barkly at length arrived, and resided some time at 
Goshen, and gained golden opinions among the people, by his 
affability, and by the kindly interest which he took in their 
welfare, of which the survivors of those days still speak with 
obvious delight. Mr. Barkly conceived a high respect for Mr. 
Jameson's character, and a high opinion of his labours among 
the people ; and so favourable was his report, that, on his 
advice, twelve acres of Lucky Hill land were given in fee simple 
for the church and school, £300 sterling as a donation, and 
all the building material, as wood, stone, and lime, which the 
estates could furnish. 

The Church and School Building Society, which had been 
formed on the 1st January, 1839, with 194 contributors, had 
swelled before the end of that month, to 334, who gave, at 
various rates, from 3d. to Is. monthly. Mr. Jeffrey of Salis- 
bury contributed £60 sterling, and, under his superintendence, 
the people turned out and built a large lime-kiln. The foun- 
dation was dug, and preparations were made for the laying of 
the foundation-stone. 

In the meantime, Mr. Jameson had to pass through one of 
those valleys of the shadow of death which lie in the path to 



ARRIVAL OF MR. BARKLY. 



115 



heaven. He suffered one of the severest afflictions that can 
befall a missionary in a foreign land. His excellent and devoted 
wife was removed from his side, after three short years of happy 
union. She had, on the whole, been healthy, and most active 
in the work of the mission, seconding her husband's efforts, 
solacing his heart, cheering his home, and lightening aJl his 
labours. On the 21st of June, she was seized with fever, and 
on the 12th of July, she expired. We can sympathize with 
the afflicted husband in his fears and anxieties during those 
three weeks of doubt and conflict ; and in his anguish, as his 
beloved partner is taken away from him, and he feels that now 
his strongest earthly tie is broken, and that henceforth his 
Master calls him to more devoted labour, and more earnest 
self-sacrifice. 

Mrs. Jameson's father was the eldest son of the Rev. John 
Mackersy of Kinkell. He held the farm of Cultmalundie, 
near Methven, and was an elder and manager of the Secession 
Church at Methven, under the ministry of his uncle, the Rev. 
John Wilson, and of his cousin, the Rev. John Jameson.^ 

Mrs. Jameson's mother, Catherine Dempster, was a daughter 
of the Rev. Simon Dempster, Secession minister of Leslie, in 
Fifeshire. Mrs. Dempster's mother was a very godly woman. 
On one occasion, she said to her daughter, " I have got from the 
Lord the promise of you, and your seed, and your seed's seed." 
She thus expressed her inward conviction, which she regarded 
as a Divine monition, that God would answer her prayers for 
her posterity. 

Mr. Mackersy of Cultmalundie died, leaving his children very 
young. He was a kind-hearted, good man. Mr. Jameson of 
Methven, writing to his widow, Mrs. Mackersy (29th August, 
1823), says : — "I was just thinking, as I walked into Perth 
this afternoon, that as, on this day seventeen years, your hus- 
band and I rode in to bring out my bride, his conversation was 
more than usually elevated, and serious and interesting — some- 
thing akin to that going to Emmaus. I felt it wonderfully 

1 The Rev. John Mackersy, minister of the Secession Church at Kinkell, married 
Isabella Wilson, one of the daughters of Rev. Wm. Wilson of Perth. 



lie 



MEMOIE OF EEY. WILLIAM JAMESOlN. 



then ; what would I have given for it now ! " Mr. Jameson 
was appointed trustee of the fatherless children, and as they 
lived at Methven, some time after their father's death, they were 
cared for by him, and instructed along with his own children. 
Living over again the scenes of his wife's death, on the anni- 
versary of that event — " a season charged with an accumulation 
of anxiety and anguish" — he writes to Mrs, Mackersy, "I 
beheld your children sitting at table with my own : it was, for 
a moment, like the shooting of a gleam of sunshine athwart a 
sky of clouds and gloominess. The thought that my friend 
and theirs was no more, to bid them welcome, came pressing on 
like the thick and murky cloud returning after the rain." 

Mrs. Jameson's only brother, John, became a solicitor in 
Airdrie, where he was much respected, and obtained the title 
of the " honest lawyer." A valuable gold watch was presented 
to him by the "liberal electors of Airdrie, in acknowledgment of 
his able services as their agent," at an election in 1842. He 
died in 1847, on the very day on which Mr. Jameson was 
taken with his death-illness in Old Calabar. 

Mrs. Jameson was possessed of excellent abilities, and of varied 
.accomplishments. She was thoroughly educated, very intelli- 
gent and humorous, and wielded a ready and graphic pen. She 
has left several oil paintings, one of them being a portrait of 
her grandfather, Mr. Mackersy of Kinkell, which show both 
taste and talent. Her portrait, painted by Sir John Watson 
Gordon, of Edinburgh, is now before me. It is one of those por- 
traits which are obviously liknesses, and not mere pictures. There 
is nothing about it to attract attention but the face, and it is 
such a face as one never tires looking at, but returns to gaze 
upon with ever new delight and love. It betokens the sweet- 
ness of disposition, the modesty, purity, and decision of cha- 
racter, and the wondrous self-possession for which the original 
was distinguished. Her diffidence made her indisposed to 
speak much about her religious experience ; but her piety was 
at once genuine and devoted. It was characterized by self- 
distrust, and, no doubt, this arose from the integrity of a higlily 
conscientious character. On one occasion, when some friends 



MES. JAMESON. 



117 



^Ye^e engaged in earnest conversation about the attainableness 
of an assurance of personal safety, she expressed considerable 
dubiety ; and this is referred to in the following notices of her 
death-bed experience, when she said to her husband : " Kow I 
know that all my sins are forgiven." Then, through the grace 
that is in Christ Jesus, the Holy Ghost gave her such a view 
of the Saviour as hers, and so enabled her to embrace him, 
that she felt his everlasting arms around her, felt that she was 
in his hands, and that, therefore, she could not perish, but 
would have everlasting Hfe. She was indeed a woman of whom 
her husband could always justly be proud, and in whom his 
heart safely trusted. 

The following are instances of her presence of mind and cour- 
age. When she and her brother were little children, one day as 
they were playing together, his dress caught fire. IN o one was 
at hand to give assistance. Without any screaming or noise, 
she snatched off her own upper dress, and wrapped it round 
him. 

When she was travelling on the coach to Airdrie, on one 
occasion, the horses became unmanageable, and the driver told 
the passengers to mind themselves, if they could. Several 
gentlemen made their escape by scrambling over the stern, and 
left Miss Llackersy to care for herself She determined to 
keep her place, and the driver encouraged her to hold on. She 
did so, and clung v/ith all her strengih, till, at length, after a 
run of three miles, the horses slackened their speed. 

After she was under engagement to go to Jamaica, she wrote 
to her future partner : — " If the Lord calls me, if He has need 
of me, I go cheerfully, and do count it greater honour than all 
the riches of this world. It has been my desire to renounce 
its vanities and live separate from it. I have prayed God 
to deliver me from its temptations when almost carried away 
by them. And if He is now granting my request, though 
giving me a pang with it, shall I grudge to leave all and fol- 
low him % But I do not leave all, since you are with me, since 
you have given me your heart, the only one I ever could have 
cherished a thought of. Mine is yours ; and it is not the 



118 



MEMOIE OF KEY. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



thought of a moment^ but of many years of searching and try- 
ing. The earnestness of your youthful affection clung to me 
all my life ; and if, at any time, I have been thought of by 
others, then it has been most warmly remembered. This has 
often seemed strange to myself ; but, of late years, I have 
thought that surely God was leading me. If so, William, can 
I not go with you to any land, to any people 1 Surely I can 
give you Ruth's answer. Although called to leave beloved 
friends, we have God with us ; and shall He not unite us again 
where there is no separation, when this life, which is but a 
shadow, has passed awayT' 

Again : — " I should like much to be at your ordination, an 
event so deeply interesting. I should like to get into some 
corner where I could see you and hear all. We may talk of it 
when solitary strangers in a far distant land, if you are spared. 
But, oh, my dearest William, I weep at the very thought of 
seeing you set apart, devoted, perhaps to death. This thought 
overwhelms me. It is the thorn in my flesh. It clouds every 
joy. I heard of a young man whose whole life and heart were 
devoted to missionary work, and who died some days after he 
landed. The ways of God are most mysterious. This fills me 
with fear, but I will try to trust in Him who has said, ' Cast 
thy burden on me.' Mr. Deans' ^ sermon was remarkable : for 
it was just at the time when I was in deepest perplexity. I 
came out of the church, that day, quite convinced that the 
words were spoken to me, and determined to leave my own 
heart and my foolish thoughts with God for direction." 

Mrs. Jameson's labours among the people were much blessed, 
and we cannot help mourning that she was removed so soon. 
Writing about her (1st February, 1838), Mr. Jameson says : — 
" Her labours among both young and old are unremitting, and 
eminently successful. She has gained the esteem and aJBfection 

1 Rev. Geo. Deans of Portobello. On that occasion, Mr. Deans read the 24th 
chapter of Genesis ; and his remarks on the willingness of Rebekah to leave her 
home and kindred to share the lot of the man of God (verse 58), were what more 
particularly seemed to Miss Mackersy to he the voice, saying, This is the way, walk 
thou in it. 



I JAMAICA HOUSEKEEPING. 119 

of all. No one will leave the house without seeing ^ Missis/ 
and bidding her ^ day day.' When they come, they always 
bring something to her ; and on the Sabbaths when I am not 
at home, they flock to our house to get food, as they say, to 
their souls from Missis. At home, on Portobello sands, she 
was like the poet's gem in the cave of ocean, or like his flower, 
wasting its sweetness in the desert air. Here, she is laying out 
her time and talents in the noblest of enterprises — teaching 
Ethiopia to stretch out her hands unto God. And although 
she has left the ease and comfort of home, yet it is to beautify 
her own crown, by bringing a few more gems to beautify the 
crown of our Eedeemer. . . . She is up in the morning feeding 
her fowls, gathering their eggs, and superintending the children 
while they clean the house. During the day, she is in the 
midst of her pupils, teaching them to read, write, and sew." 

The following extracts from her pen will convey some idea 
of the numerous and wearisome trials which our missionary sis- 
ters and partners have to endure in their self-denying service, 
especially in new fields of labour, before their heroic and perse- 
vering efl'orts have created helps for themselves : — 

On March 12th, she wrote: — "Friends would not be 
ofi'ended at my never writing, if they knew how my time is 
taken up. All last summer we had the school. In the morn- 
ing, we rode to the White Eiver, and without this cooling bathe 
I do not think I could have endured the heat. After school hours 
I had always more to do than I could manage. ... I assure 
you there are no slumberers here. The bell is rung before day- 
light for all to rise. At half-past seven, the bell rings for wor- 
ship. Then comes breakfast. Oh, what a multitude of trifling 
troubles we have in Jamaica ! Mr. Moir swallows his break- 
fast, and rides off, followed by all his train, and I am left to 
clear away as I can. The school is so popular, that none but 
the lame and the sick will stay to help me. I have often 
thought of you, when I had no servant at all, and wished that 
you could look across the Atlantic, and see me sitting at my 
threshold, watching the cooking operations outside — a fire 
erected near the door, the soup-pot on high, perhaps the beef 



120 



MEMOIE OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



in another under, a little black girl keeping up the fire, and 
anon running to the kitchen to turn the yam — me sitting in the 
shade, but the fire heat bursting in at the door, and the sun's 

rays coming through the very walls. I often wished Mrs. , 

who said that missionaries should not keep servants, had but 
one week of it. . . . The girls are very stupid about household 
matters, from being brought up like cattle. For instance, I 
told one the other day to lay down the carpet before the bed. 
She took a clean folded shirt of Mr. Jameson'^, and began to 
lay it down." 

Writing to Miss Jameson (20th March, 1838):— "Well 
done the Perth ladies! Many thanks for their box. Truly 
you have done a good work to us. I made about XI 5 out 
of it, and this is the beginning of a fund for building church 
and school. I have been the seller, and have had my work, 
but I rejoiced in it. Some of our whites have tried to throw 
contempt upon me, by saying I was now keeping a store. I 
don't mind that ; I will sell all I can, so that it forward our 
work." 

Again (April 9, 1838) There is no doubt that the 
constitutions of the missionaries soon fail. As they have so 
much fatigue and exposure to the sun by day, and to the dews 
by night, they are liable to fevers, and then they are dosed 
with calomel till their stomachs become like a washed clout, as 
Mr. Cowan says of his. I think the ministers at home should 
exchange with their brethren here, and let them home to recruit. 
It would do good to both parties ; and, more especially, it 
would interest those at home in the poor perishing souls in this 
heathen land." 

In a letter to Mrs. Mackersy (July 15, 1839), Mr. Jameson 
narrates some of the circumstances of his beloved partner's 
death, and none can fail to see that the God of all comfort sus- 
tained his servant in his hour of woe. 

" My beloved mother, I hope the Lord has heard, and will 
now answer, the prayer of many in this land, who love you be- 
cause they dearly loved Nicolis who taught them, but whom 
the Lord, in his adorable but mysterious providence, has seen 



HER LAST ILLNESS. 



121 



it good to take away. I hope that He has in his own way been 
preparing your mind for the heavy intelligence, and oh, I hope 
that, when this letter is put into your hand, you will experience 
the supporting and consoling influences of God's Holy Spirit." 

Having mentioned a few particulars of the commencement and 
progress of the malady, during which she was attended by three 
doctors, and that Mrs. Jameson had been removed to Salisbury, 
five miles from their residence, to try the effect of a change of 
air, he says : — "On Friday the 12th, towards afternoon, she 
sunk, and at 7 p.m. she fell asleep in Jesus, without any 
symptom of pain or struggle. Not a finger or a joint moved, 
not a feature was distorted, but all the placidity of heaven 
rested on her countenance. A smile came upon her lips at the 
moment of departure, which spread a melancholy sweetness over 
the pale countenance, yea, more than sweetness, a blithesomeness 
and an energy which I have not before seen. It seemed to in- 
dicate that our dearly beloved was in the happiest mood, that 
she had taken her flight just as the glories of the eternal 
world burst upon her view, and that her last efi'ort upon the 
earthly tabernacle which she was leaving behind, was the 
stamping upon the countenance this joyous smile, as a token 
to us that all our prayers were now answered, that our be- 
loved had now passed the Jordan, that she was now on the 
shores of Immanuel's land, had got the first glimpse of its 
glories, and was refreshed after her cares and toils, with the 
first draught of its joys. It told me to weep for myself, but 
not for her ; that she was clothed upon with her house from 
heaven, while I was in a tabernacle^ burdened and groaning. 

" Her body was laid in the grave the day following, at 4 
P.M., at Salisbury, beside her friend Mrs. Jeff'rey, amidst a 
great assembly of those to whom she had first imparted the 
knowledge of Christ. Deep was the interest excited by this 
solemn event, and many the tears shed over her grave. 
Among no people could she have been more generally useful ; 
by none could the loss of dear Nicolis be more deeply felt or 
more sincerely lamented. 

" Mr. Cowan was much with us during the whole period of 



122 



MEMOIE OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



her illness^ and contributed mucli to the comfort of my be- 
loved wife. In the last week, Mr. Paterson arrived from 
Manchester, and came from Carron Hall to share in our 
affliction. Mr. Cowan and he were both with me on the 
sad day when the Lord called me to part with my sweetest 
earthly comfort ; they spoke and prayed with her ; they re- 
tired and prayed by themselves ; in this way, the Lord made 
abundant provision for her spiritual benefit. Mr. Simpson 
came from Port Maria on Saturday, to the funeral ; and he 
and Mr. Paterson remained with me yesterday, which was the 
Sabbath. The Lord sent these His servants to pour into my 
sad and desolate heart the consolations of the gospel. 

" Now, my dear mother, I know that your heart will be 
very sad, that it will be overwhelmed, that the blow will be 
heavy, heavy. Oh, what can I say 1 I brought Nicolis to 
the field on which she has fallen. The Lord enabled me to 
deliver my sweetest mercy into his hand, to give her back to 
him who gave her to me. But I feel sad when I think of 
your sadness. My poor heart feels doubly desolate when I 
think of your desolation. My dear mother, let me press on 
your instant attention the last two verses of the 4th chapter 
of second Corinthians, and the first part of the 5th. Oh, let 
me beseech you to look not at the things which are seen, but 
at the things which are not seen. Think, oh think more of 
the gain of our beloved Nicolis than of our irreparable loss. 
Think of the good which she efi'ected among the children of 
Ethiopia, and of the honourable position she holds among 
those who have helped to fulfil the prophecy : ' Ethiopia 
shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.' The day of her 
activity has been short. It has, however, been all the time 
which God allotted to her ; every moment of it has been 
occupied. She trifled not ; many gems has she won to her 
crown, and to the crown of her Redeemer, by coming here ; 
many more than if she had been the companion of your pil- 
grimage and the cheerer of your solitary hours. If sharp 
arrows pierce your soul, think of this, that the next time you 
see our beloved friend, you will envy her exalted and honour- 



DEATH-EED EXPEEIEjN-CE. 



123 



able position, and you will say that she has been wise, and 
that with those who esteemed her foolish, has been and is the 
foUy. 

The death-bed experience of Xicolis has been in full cor- 
respondence with her life, serene, and marked with the fuU 
assurance of faith and hope. Two weeks before her death, 
she said, ^ William, I think I am going to leave you. My 
time is come. I desire to live only for your sake. I feel at 
leaving you alone in this sad country ; but the Lord will 
take care of you, and comfort you. I fear I have sinned in 
being too anxious about baby, and about laying up for her 
education and for a time of sickness. I should have taken 
your advice, an:! cast myself and aU my cares upon the Lord.' 
I spoke to her of Christ Jesus, and of the freeness, the ful- 
ness, and the sovereignty of forgiving mercy. She appeared 
much dehghted and satisfied. She lay cjuiet some time, and 
then said, ' Oh, I have had a sweet meditation with the 
Saviour Xou\ I know that all my sins are forgiven. Xoiv, 
I know that all my backsliclings are healed, and that I am 
accepted in the beloved.' And with emphasis she said, ^ I 
desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far better. 
Tell me your lecture on the 23d Psalm,' This I did, so far 
as I could recollect it. ' Ay,' she said, ' death is a gloomy 
vale, but Christ will lead me through. ^^Tow, I will tell you 
what I want you to do, my dear William. Send baby to 
^Irs. Cowan to take care of, and, if you find an opportunity, 
send her home to niy mother.' " 

After some directions about gifts to be given to various 
parties, she said, ' iJsow, I have done with the world. 0 Lord, 
give me a c[uick, and, if it be Thy will, an easy passage.' After 
this, she got a respite of some days. She then said, 'Wil- 
liam, the Lord has heard your prayers, and sent me relief.' 
This she said, I thought, with an air of regret. Her eye 
seemed to have been resting on heaven. She was much in 
meditation, and much in prayer. Sometimes she prayed 
audibly, and her petitions were expressed in short sentences, 
and clothed in pointed and powerful language ; and the inter- 



124 MEMOIR OF SEV. "WILLIAM JAMESOK. 

course which she enjoyed with Christ, on these occasions, 
seemed to have quickened her desires for immortality. 

The night before she died she slept none. She said to 
me, ^ William, tell me some promises, some about pardon ] 
say to me the 23d Psalm. I am going to die, to pass through 
the gloomy vale, I think that the spirit of your father is 
not far away from me. The Lord will be with you, my dear 
William. Tell my mother that I die, not because I have 
come to Jamaica, but because I have come to the time ap- 
pointed.' Towards the last, the fever fell into her brain, so 
that the sweetness of our intercourse was now past. 

" During her illness, I myself watched her night and day. I 
gave her all her medicines. I trembled for, and wept over 
her. Prayer was made everywhere in meetings throughout 
the congregation. The poor child of Ethiopia feared and 
prayed, and now mourns and weeps, and bids me keep good 
heart, for that the Lord will help me. And, my dear 
mother, they are praying for you. Oh, may the Lord sustain 
and comfort you ! . . . This moment your letter has come in. 
Alas ! a flood threatens to overwhelm me." 

On the 1 6th July, he wrote thus : — " My beloved aunts, 
the Lord has stunned me with the blow of his hand. He 
has taken my Nicolis from my sight. I feel the sadness of 
desolation and woe. My heart is overwhelmed. Lord, thy 
waves and thy billows go over me. I speak as an impatient 
one ; ascribe this to the infirmity of a heart that feels its 
loneliness, not to the blessed God whose arms support me. 
The Lord has done it, and what shall I say ? I bless him 
with my whole heart. I needed chastisement, and I am chas- 
tised. I desire to learn the depths of Thy holy law, 0 Lord." 

The following contains a touching account of the removal of 
Mrs. Jameson to Salisbury : — 

Mrs. Jameson was now in the deep waters of affliction. 
The raging fever had baffled the skill of the physician, and 
mocked his most potent prescriptions. Change of air was our 
last hope. Young men were staying at the Pen overnight, to 
be ready to start with their afflicted friend at the first appear- 



EEMOYAL TO SALISBUSY. 



125 



ance of returning day. There were a dozen of them together, 
and the first part of the night was spent in prayer. Their peti- 
tions were few, hut much to the point ; their manner was simple, 
earnest, and affecting ; it was a solemn night — the last on 
which ]\Irs. Jameson was in her own house. The most of them 
were members of her Sabbath cla-ss. ' Massa Jesus^ pity dear 
Missis ; give her comfort and heal her.' Another — ' Pity our 
dear minister ; and 0 J esus I take not away from him his dear 
wife.' Another prayed, ' 0 Jesus ! have pity upon poor baby, 
and take not away her dear mother,' 

" Daylight was approaching, and the dear patient had now to 
be removed, — ah 1 never to return. The couch we had pre- 
pared was brought — a mattress laid upon a net made of cords, 
suspended between two bamboos. I carried the dear one in 
my arms, and laid her there. The bearers silently moved along 
through the dispelling darkness. She felt revived, but the 
fever continued. We reached the church, and found a company 
who had been waiting there from early morning to carry her to 
Salisbury. They had spent the precious moments, amidst the 
thick darkness, in earnest prayer on behalf of their dying friend. 
Salisbury was reached at last. Mrs. Jameson felt refreshed 
and revived ; but this was of short duration. Fever returned 
with redoubled fury ; she sunk ; her spirit fled. 

" This stroke, 0 Lord I is thine. All thy ways are faithful- 
ness, and truth, and sure mercy. ' Massa,' said the people, 
' keep good heart. It cannot be helped. We sorry for you. 
We never forget to pray for you. If you lose heart, what will 
become of us ? If the Bible do not give you good consolation, 
what can we expect ? You have often told us what blessed 
support the gospel gives to God's people in afSiction. We now 
look for it in you.' Olassa,' said an elderly woman, one of 
my people, and a good woman, ^ I come to live with you, to 
serve you, and I can never leave you again.' From that day 
she became my servant, and I find in her one who is faithful, 
and most anxious to please." 

" We were singing one day at worship the 3 0th Paraphrase. 
Jane, the servant now referred to, wept much, and at the close. 



126 ' MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 

Miss Taylor came and said, ' Minister, there is something the 
matter with Jane. She seems very dull, and cries much.' I 
went and said to her, ' What is the matter with you, Jane 1 ' 
No answer. I asked her a second time. No answer. I said, 
'Jane, are any of the children annoying you '? ' ' No, Massa.' 
' Anything pain you 1 ' ' Well, minister, I must just tell you. 
My heart is sore. I desire to know God ; but I am sorry I 
cannot know him. If I could know him, I would be happy.' 
I hope she is a child of divine mercy. She has made consider- 
able progress in knowledge since she came into the family ; and 
often at worship she is weeping. I may truly say she has left 
all for my sake. She has a little property of her own, and a 
house which she built upon it. This she has committed to 
the care of a cousin, that she may be with me." 

Mr. Moir, who was a member of the happy little circle, thus 
refers to the death of Mrs. J ameson : — 

" Her life was one of great activity. She seemed to be filled 
with the spirit of these words : ' Whatsoever thy hand findeth 
to do, do it with thy might,' etc. About a week after she be- 
came sick, she conversed long one evening with her husband ; 
told him that she was dying, and gave him her last wishes. 
Her calmness and composure of mind surprised and delighted 
him j and that night has been often remembered. 

" One Sabbath, Mr. Jameson remained at home with her, 
and I supplied his place in the church. After the public 
services, there was a meeting for prayer on our friend's behalf. 
Those who led in prayer, poured out their souls in the language 
of the most experienced Christians. ' Though thou shouldest bray 
thy servant's wife in a mortar, heal her, and save her soul.' 'Flog 
the patient, but save her soul.' ' Bless thy hand-maid ; Thou 
loan her to our minister ; heal her, Jesus, my best doctor ! 
and let not our minister hide face too much, and lose heart.' 
' Anoint her from the very crown of the head, to the very sole of 
the foot.' ' Spare her for the little baby's sake.' On going 
home, I told her all that had passed. A holy calm came over 
her mind, and a heavenly smile sat upon her countenance, and 
her words were, ' That is fine j oh, that is sweet.' 



ANGUISH OF THE BEREAVED. 



127 



" Tlie deepest anxiety was shown by Mr. Jameson during the 
whole period of his wife's illness. He seldom left her. He 
often wandered between hope and fear. He often committed 
her to God : ^ She is the Lord's, let him do with her as He 
pleases.' When she was about to leave him, he put her into 
the Lord's arms ; and when her spirit fled, he embraced the cold 
clay, pressed her chill lips with his, and heaved a deep sigh. 
Then turning to those around, he said, ' You know what to do 
with her. I know not. I leave her to you.' He retired to a 
room by himself, and, in a little, he came out, called all who 
were about the house together, and, in a most impressive man- 
ner, addressed them one by one." ^ 

1 How touching is the following incident ! When Mr. Jameson had committed 
the remains of his beloved wife to the dust, and again reached his now empty home, 
he opened her private drawer, and saw Ijang before him the following stanzas, 
which, it is supposed, were written by Mrs. Jameson in anticipation of her early 
death. There is a deep and tender pathos in the simple, though imperfect lines, 
in which she tries to comfort him, by leading his mind to the bright scenes into 
Vv^hich the blow that saddened him had ushered her. It is not certain whether they 
are original or copied. 

" When I am dead, and silent lying, 
Should you, in your hour of awe, 
Gaze upon me, softly sighing, 
Back the solemn curtain draw ; 
But the frame of clay you '11 see, 
Oh, beloved, will not be me ; 
I shall be with Christ, my treasure, 
Drinking in eternal pleasure. 

" When I 'm in the coffin shrouded, 
Mantled in a winding-sheet, 
All the springs of life beclouded, 
In that peaceable retreat : 
Stay the tear, to weep forbear, — 
I, my friend, shall not be there ; 
I shall be where Sharon's Rose, 
Chief in beauty, fragrant blows. 

" When you see mj eye fast closed, 
And regret its quenched beam, — 
Every fringy lash reposed 
Where oft flowed the copious stream ; 
Let no tear-drop fall from thine : 
Dear one ! it will not be mine, 
Mine on Jesus will be dwelling, 
All the sons of light excelling. 



128 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



The following was written to Mrs. Mackersy (July 22, 1839), 
a week after Mrs. Jameson's death, while the mourner's wound 
was still bleeding, although the balm of heaven's consolation 
was soothing its anguish, and the fruits of righteousness were 
being rapidly matured in his smitten soul. This severe afflic- 
tion was indeed the means of at once fitting the Lord's servant 
for a higher kind of service below ; and it carried him on a long 
stage in his preparation for his own too early removal. Never 
did the remembrance of his partner lose in vividness ; and 
Mcolis in heaven was always an attraction towards that ever- 
lasting home of believers : — 

" My beloved Mother, — My last letter reached you, I 

" When my feet, devoid of motion, 
Side by side inactive ]ie. 
Should you think, with fond emotion, 
* Never more with me they '11 stray. ' 
They will not be mine, beloved ; 
Mine, by love's impatience moved, 
Will o'er heaven's bright pavement glide, 
Till they reach Immanuel's side. 

" Should your mournful eye-beam linger, 
Should your palm the surface press 
Of my icy, marble finger, 
Shrinking from its nothingness. 
Dearest friend, 'twill not be mine. 
Motionless in palm of thine, — 
Mine will then be sweetly playing. 
O'er a harp angelic straying. 

When you mark my head reposing, 
Heedless, thoughtless, tearless, still. 
Death's dark victory disclosing 
O'er the memory, heart and \\«il ; 
As you trace care's furrowed line, 
Cross the brow, 'twill not be mine, — 
Mine will lean on Jesus' breast. 
Pillowed on eternal rest. 

" When the humid grave 's receiving 
That cold casket, where to dwell, 
Oft my spirit, sadly grieving. 
Found it but a prison cell : 
I, my love, shall not be there, 
Clear escaped for ever, where 
I shall be with Christ, my Lover, 
Lord, J ehovah. Bridegroom, Brother. " 



TENDEE RECOLLECTIONS. ' 129 

hope, by last packet. I hasten to follow it up, by telling you 
much that is consoling to my sorrow-stricken heart, in hope 
that it will be no less soothing to yours. I watched my beloved 
Nicolis from the first moment of her sickness till she left me 
behind in this vale of tears. And, oh, my dear mother, if my 
mind is entirely satisfied about anything, it is that all is well 
with her, that she now is where she often expressed an earnest 
longing to be, and from which she desires not to return. 
Heaven was often the subject of her conversation, long before 
her illness. When we sat together, happy in each other's com- 
pany, Nicolis would throw upon me that look which never failed 
to fill my eye and melt my heart — her dying look too, the last 
ere her sweet eye closed for ever — and as she looked, she used 
to say, ^ How sweet and refreshing will heaven be ! No toil, no 
annoyance, no sorrow there ! Death is terrible, but it will soon 
be over ; and heaven will far more than make up for all crosses 
and for all losses.' Before retiring to rest, I frequently prayed 
with her ; she always put her hand in mine, and as we prayed 
she wept. Oh, these were very sweet and solemn moments. 
If ever I found my soul enlarged, and my bands untied, it was 
at these times, when we gave ourselves anew to God, and com- 
mitted our babe into his hands, and when our spirits glanced 
across the ocean, and we laid at the foot of the throne our dear 
mother, our brothers and sisters, aunts, and aged grandfather, 
and all friends. Our union has been of short duration, but it 
has been exactly what our sovereign God appointed. And 
although short, yet it has been so full of sweetness and true 
happiness, in the midst of much that was rugged and trying in 
our lot, that I feel the Lord has given me, in a narrow compass, 
what He has spread over the long lifetime of many others, yea, 
what many more are never able to attain. I blessed God, and 
will ever bless Him for the precious gift which He gave me in 
Nicolis ; and it would be ill on my part were I not also to 
bless Him when in infinite wisdom He has seen it right to take 
her away. The stroke is heavy, heavy. I feel solitary and sad. 
My heart is smitten and withered. But I would be dumb, 
because the Lord hath done this. The departure of my beloved 

I 



130 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



Nicolis has made a blank in my heart and home which nothing 
but God himself can fill up. He can do it ; and I trust He 
is doing it. I think I can say that His presence is sustain- 
ing and comforting my soul ; that He has brought me into the 
wilderness, but it is to show me more of his loving-kindness. 
Her seat is empty. With her looks, her words, and liji watch- 
ful and tender care, I am no more blessed ; but when I think 
of her gain, how unspeakable ! of her escape from sin, and 
suffering, and sorrow, and toil, of the fulness of joy that now 
fills her soul, of the exceeding and eternal weight of glory with 
which she is now arrayed and crov/ned, oh, it would be wrong 
in me to give way to that selfishness which would begrudge 
my love the full enjoyment of these glories, even for a moment, 
for the sake of the good which her presence on earth secured 
to myself Oh no, my beloved Nicolis, you were happy on 
earth, but you are infinitely happier in heaven ! When present 
with me, you were absent from the Lord. Now is your joy 
complete. In a little, I will follow you, sing with you, rejoice 
with you, and in company with you adore the Lamb for ever. 
Then, this sadness of heart shall have passed away, and these 
tears of bitterness been dried up, and death itself swallowed 
up in victory." 

In the mission service of the Church there are ever occurring 
instances of disinterested Christian kindness. Does the mother 
die, leaving an infant in tender years '? Another sister never 
fails to take the motherless one into her bosom, and care for 
it as tenderly as if it were her own. Fellowship in Christ's 
service blends the mothers' hearts into one ; and nowhere may 
a dying mother be more certain of a warm nestling place for 
the object of her anxieties than among a missionary sisterhood. 
Mrs. Jameson's daughter was only eight months old at her 
mother's death. But Mrs. Cowan, who was just recovering 
from the birth of two children, sent for her sister's child, and 
tended her with all a mother's care, till Miss Jameson joined 
her widowed brother, in 1840. "Providence," wrote Mr. 
Jameson, "has shown much kindness in providing such a 
retreat for the dear motherless babe." 



FOUXDATIOX-STONE LAID. 



131 



"To THE EosE Street Juvenile IMissioxary Society. 

"•SUtJuhj, 1839. 

"My deae Young Feiends, — I intended wiiting you a 
long letter, but at present this is out of my power, I send 
you what will interest you far more — a sketch of our homely 
church, taken by Mrs. Jameson a considerable time ago* Its 
colours are somewhat faded by having lain a year in this 
climate ; and Mrs. Jameson, discovering defects in its execution, 
wished to improve it, but was prevented by the pressure and 
increase of other engagements. It was intended, my dear 
young friends, for you ; and I feel bound to embrace this first 
opportunity of sending it, though I am loathe to part with it. 

"As your eyes rest upon this little picture, think of her 
whose work it is. Think, oh think, how early in life death 
laid his hand upon her, and seek, oh seek yourselves to be 
ready ! Think of the glory with which she is now crowned, 
and be ye followers of her who, through faith and patience, 
now inherits the promises. Know that death waits not when 
he receives the commission. The king of terrors can neither 
be bribed nor driven back by violence. It is ours to wait his 
approach and be ready, and to have Jesus as the anchor of the 
soul : for ' blessed are the dead who die in the Lord.' Pray 
for me. I much need your constant and earnest prayers. For 
the present, farewell." 

At lengih, everything was ready for laying the foundation- 
stone of the new church. That ceremony was performed by 
Henry Barkly, Esq., on Saturday, September 28th, 1839. Mr. 
Jameson writes : — 

" We had an interesting day at the laying of the foundation- 
stone. The school was examined in the forenoon, and gave 
much satisfaction. Messrs. Barkly, Cowan, Paterson, and 
others were present, and a great assemblage of people. I first 
spoke a few words to the people, and read the paper to be 
deposited in the stone, containing a short history of the 
station. Mr. Paterson prayed. After singing the 10 2d Psalm, 
verses 13-19, Mr. Barkly laid the stone. Mr. Cowan then 



132 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



prayed. Afterwards, Messrs. Barkly, Cowan, Paterson, and 
Jeifrey addressed the people. A collection amounting to £48, 
was raised. Our people are increasing their subscriptions, and 
doing what they can in labour, with much cheerfulness. As 
yet, little more has been done than digging the foundation and 
laying the corner-stone. The plan proposed is somewhat as 
follows : — A building, 75 feet by 50 ; 12 feet being taken off 
the length for a vestry ; walls 20 feet high, to allow a gallery 
if necessary. The roof is to consist of three small roofs. Mr. 
Moir is busy as usual. The school is still numerous. The 
children are getting a box ready with coffee, pimento, cocoa- 
nuts, etc., to send home." 

Including the monthly contributions of the people, the sum 
of £600 was contributed in Jamaica the first year, and the 
rest Mr. Jameson hoped to raise by loan or donation from 
friends of the work in Scotland. 

Several new openings had presented themselves during 1839, 
which Mr. Jameson and his valuable coadjutor, Mr. Moir, 
sought to improve to the utmost of their strength. 

The school at Pembroke Hall was given up, as the children 
in that quarter could reach the school at the church, and as 
other more necessitous places seemed to claim attention. Early 
in the year, Mr. Moir undertook to hold a prayer-meeting with 
the Scotch immigrants at Middlesex every Thursday evening, 
to keep school on Fridays and Saturdays, and, alternately with 
Mr. Jameson, to preach to them every third Sabbath. The 
people fitted up a house for Mr. Moir, and soon expressed a 
strong desire to have him stationed in their midst, promising to 
contribute as liberally to his support as their means allowed. 
But it was resolved that, in the meantime, no change should 
take place. 

" Education is now the order of the day among young and 
old. Applications are made to us from time to time to extend 
our labours. There is a fine field here, not only for negro 
schools, but also for boarding-schools to train the better class 
of browns and whites, especially the former — a class as degraded 
as, and more neglected than, the blacks. Eor this purpose a 



133 



large and excellent house, healthily and beautifully situated, is 
offered to me. The proprietor desires a well-qualified teacher 
from home. In the meantime, I purpose going there three 
days every week, to commence a negro school. I have been 
induced to do so, because of the solicitations of the people, 
because it enables me to do something for a distant portion 
of the congregation, and because of the advantageous situation. 
I will begin operations in the hope of breaking up a field for 
some friend and fellow-labourer from home." 

The place referred to in the above extract was Bonham 
Spring, a pimento estate, in the parish of St. Ann's, six miles 
from Goshen. jMr. Jameson thought that it would suit for the 
^Missionary Academy, on which the Jamaica Presbytery had set 
their hearts ; and he brought the matter before the Synod's 
Committee for Foreign Missions, by whom Mr. Millar was sent 
to Bonham Spring in 1841. He continued there till the 
xlcaclemy was removed to Montego Bay. 

The following letter we are unwilling to abridge. It is 
exceedingly touching, and one cannot read it without profiting. 
Mr. Jameson had been from home, and on his retiu^n, his 
wounds bled afresh from a sense of his loss, and he immedi- 
ately sat down to write. 

Xovemher Ist^ 1839. — The third year of our connexion is 
about to expire. During this period, much have we seen of 
mercy and judgment. The Lord has wrought for us, and with 
us, and by us, both at home and abroad. He has severely 
chastened more than one of our number, not, however, too 
severely, or more severely than was necessary. Xo ! a living 
{ man ought not to complain. To be out of hell is a greater 
I mercy than we deserve ; and to be crowned with loving-kind- 
I ness and tender mercy, oh, joy unspeakable ! 
I In wandering over the past, the mind rests upon the happy 

( and hallowed scenes we enjoyed three Septembers agone. Ah 
j me ! Some were there who are no more, whom the grave 
hides from our weeping eyes. What can we say ] Oh what 1 
but that the whole paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, 
that it is well with our dear departed friends, that such dispen- 



i 



134 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON 



sations are for the good of God's people, that both in measure 
and kind, they are exactly answerable to the case in hand, 
that our beloved dead we shall see again in a better state, and 
that with them we shall enjoy holier and sweeter fellowship 
than ever. But they are away ! Our earthly intercourse 
with them has ceased ; their seat is empty ; we cannot pray 
for them ; we look for them, but cannot find them ; we talk 
to them, but receive no answer ; the vision is the object of our 
tenderest regards ; the waking thought is, ' all is well,' but still 
we must go to the grave to weep. How easily are our fondest 
hopes prostrated ! How do mon ef the world befool them- 
selves, when to gain the world they lose their souls ! How 
do Christians miscalculate, when worldly interests and incli- 
nations are allowed to interfere with the commands of the 
Saviour ! Soon may these interests be overturned, and the 
disciple obliged to confess, that, after all, it is the highest 
interest, as well as the first duty, to comply with the require- 
ments of the blessed Lord. Had my beloved wife and myself 
been moved by the tears of friends, and had we been induced 
by their entreaties and arguments to abandon the great work 
to which we are called, oh, how many sparkling gems would 
her crown have wanted, and how foolish would I now look ! 
I would have been a spectacle to men and angels, — a convert 
to obedience, as the pettish school-boy is a convert to the laws 
of school, after having been soundly whipped. How blessed is 
it to be at our post, to suffer while doing our duty ! When 
we look for comfort, then we find it. ' 0 Lord, this word of 
thine is my comfort in mine aSliction, by it, in straits, I am 
revived.' 

" I must now proceed to business matters. 
First, let me acknowledge with deep gratitude your letters 
and those of private friends ; also those brought by Mr. J., and 
one from your secretary, which I found waiting me this after- 
noon. I thank you for your sympathy. I reached my home 
this afternoon, none to welcome me, none to embrace me ; all 
was silence, the door was shut. I ventured in, and as I wan- 
dered from room to room, your letter caught my eye. I grasped 



TOUCHING RETROSPECT. 



135 



it, oiDenecl it, and as I read it, my bursting heart got utterance 
and found relief. I thank you, and along with you the session 
and managers, for the respect you showed my beloved wife in 
putting on the garb of mourning. I thank you for your 
interest in me and my child. My warmest thanks to the 
ladies of the congregation for their letters and gifts to Mrs. 
Jameson in the box ; also to the young people of the congrega- 
tion, and to the Juvenile Missionary Society for their gifts, and 
for the means of instruction which the school enjoys through 
their liberality. Thank every friend who thinks of us, feels for 
us, prays for us, and who contributes in any way to the cause 
of the Redeemer among us. May the Lord reward you all a 
thousand-fold." 



136 



MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESOX 



CHAPTER VI. 

Incidents— The heavy tongue, but feeling heart --Scenes in the Session— Faithful 
discipline — Oppression and its results — The negro not a fool — Church building 
begun— Mr. Moir leaves — Chosen Theological Tutor — Rejects polluted gifts— Ar- 
rival of Miss Jameson — Building struggles — Negro's account of the Fall of Adam 
—The Lord's Supper at Goshen— Letters of black people. 

As work multiplied on his hands and anxieties grew, Mr. 
Jameson found himself unable to keep a record of daily events. 
But, at the end of 1839, he threw together a number of state- 
ments and incidents, from which we make the following selec- 
tions, without regard to the order of time. In speaking of his 
own want of memory for incident, he mentions a negro belong- 
ing to Eltham, one of the estates which he used to visit, who 
could tell the year, the month, the day, the hour, at which any 
particular circumstance connected with his own or his master s 
family occurred during fifty years. He could also tell the 
weight of a bag of pimento or coffee, or anything which he 
could lift, with almost perfect accuracy. 

The incidents and statements referred to are of two kinds : 
1st, illustrative of the work of God in the souls of the people ; 
and 2d, referring to the state of matters on the estates after 
freedom. Both classes are interesting, and they may be re- 
garded as specimens of what the experience of every missionary 
at that time could furnish in abundance. 

An overlooker of a gang on one of the estates was called 
by the overseer to identify a cloak which was found lying in the 
field with some pieces of sugar-cane in its folds. He could not 
tell whose it was ; but on taking it home, discovered that it 
belonged to his own daughter. He brought her before the 
overseer next day, confessed with shame and tears that she 



RO:\IAN YIFwTUE. 



137 



was the culprit, and clesked the overseer to put a particular 
brand upon her. The overseer said he would keep two days' 
pay from her by way of fine ; but this would not satisfy her 
father. She had put him and his family to shame. They had now 
'joined religion/ and were hearing every Sabbath of the evil of 
sin, and if his daughter acted thus, what could be expected of 
others ] What would the church think of him and his family, 
if this were allowed to pass unnoticed and unpimished ]" 

This was a kind of Eoman viitue in a black man : for, in 
general, black people are very unwilling to reveal each other's 
faults. It would have been like the ordinary practice, if the 
overlooker had done his best to screen his daughter. 

jMr. Jameson relates a praiseworthy instance of respect for 
the Sabbath-day : — 

" One of our people was ordered to take a mule, and go to a 
distant part of the country. He was to start on Saturday, and 
would recjuire to travel on the Sabbath. ' Busha,' said he, 
' why do you always send me on Saturday, and make me travel 
on Sabbath ? If you send me out on Monday, I will go, but 
not on Saturday. Besides, I want to help in digging the foim- 
dation of our church, and if I am not there on Satiuxlay, the 
minister, and the brothers and sisters will think that I don't 
care about the church.' 

" Busha was angry, but the man held to his point. This 
man is very obedient and serviceable, — so much so that his 
kindness of heart exposes him to numerous applications of this 
sort. 

■' In conversing with my people previous to the Lord's 
Supper, I have been pleased with the progress of many who 
had been admitted. After the last communion, I told the 
members that I would examine all before another sacrament ; 
and, if I found any not making progress in knowledge and 
holiness, I would consider it my duty to keep them back. Some 
have grown much in knowledge, and others, of whom this could 
not be expected, appear to be growing in tenderness of heart, 
and in devotional feeling. 

I was examiaing an old African woman on experimental 



138 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



religion. Among many other questions, I asked, ^ Do yon un- 
derstand the gospel which I preach V The poor Ethiopian, 
evidently much moved by the question, said, ' Oh, my minister, 
my head thick, my tongue heavy, but,' pressing her hand upon 
her bosom, ' my heart feel. Me poor Guinea woman, minister ; 
me no able for speak good ; but what you say come in here,' 
pointing to her ear, 'and strike me there,' pointing to her 
heart. ' Understand you, minister ! How could all this change 
take place upon we hearts, and conduct, and families, if we did 
not understand you V 

' Well, what do you think of Christ 1 ' 

' Oh, Massa, me love Jesus ! He died for me. Me have 
nothing to think about but Jesus. Me give myself for ever 
to Jesus.' 

" It is delightful to witness the progress of the gospel, not 
only in purifying the immoral atmosphere, but in bringing the 
ties of earthly brotherhood under subjection. A member of the 
church brought his sister before the session, for visiting sus- 
picious houses, and for manifesting light and giddy conduct. 
The session advised him to take her home to his own house, 
and look after her, which he has done. One father complained 
that his daughter did not read to him so often as he would 
like, and that when asked to do it, she often took the book 
in bad humour. When the session spoke to her, she wept, 
and promised amendment. 

Another brought his son, and said that the youth's folly 
was breaking his and the mother's heart. He had been away 
for weeks, and they did not know where he was till last night, 
when his brother found him and brought him back, covered 
with rags and dirt. The father could say little for weeping. 
The brother, who is a very excellent young man, after describing 
the humbling condition in which he found him, concluded 
with an appeal somewhat as follows : ' Oh, my brother ! you 
break your father's and your mother's heart. You fill your 
whole family with shame. You are destroying yourself You 
are putting to shame the whole church. Listen to the session.' 
He could not proceed any farther, but sat down and wept j 



SESSIONS SCENES. 



139 



and it was some time before any of us could break the solemn 
silence, for we were overpowered. 

Thought I, these were the men who were kept in a de- 
grading bondage by their mercenary task -masters, whose ava- 
rice and selfishness led them to hazard the assertion that, in 
mind and in heart, they are scarcely a degree above the brutes I 
Let the barbarian of another hue look here. Let him learn 
what he has lost since he left his country, if, even there, he 
possessed aught of the high attainment of knowing what it is 
to feel, and what it is to love. 

" Sometimes, strange scenes take place in the session, which 
illustrate the character of the negro. 

" A member was brought before us for rum-drinking, rude 
conduct, and improper language. He could not deny the charge. 
The elders, one by one, spoke to him in the most solemn manner. 
The man stood sullen and unmoved. I asked them what we 
should do with him They all agreed that as he had forfeited 
the confidence which the church reposed in her people, and 
had put her to shame, he should be cut off the list, and that 
this should be announced to the church on the following Sab- 
bath. As I lifted the pen to erase the name, the man's patience 
could stand no longer ; he got hold of his hat and stick, and, 
quick as lightning, bolted out of the church, raging and roaring 
as if he had lost his senses. 

" Next day, he came to the Pen, three miles, through a 
hea\^ rain, and said he could get no peace, but must come 
and confess himself to minister and ask pardon. I told him 
it was not my pardon he had to ask, but God's, for he had 
sinned much against Him. He begged to be taken back again. 
I told him I could not take him back for a long time, before 
I had proof that he had repented, and was living a new life. 
I prayed with him, and he went away. 

" Francis Burton, a member of the session, was called be- 
fore his brethren, for quarrelling with his daughter-in-law. 
The girl was newly married to Burton's son ; and, like too 
many of the young negro women, was proud and full of 
tongue. She was evidently in fault, and had been abusing 



140 



MEMOIR OF EEV, WILLIAM JAMESO^T. 



her father-in-law. The session, however, thought he lacked 
patience, and lectured him on the duty of forbearance. They 
exceeded due bounds, and gave the old man more than he 
deserved. The last elder who had to speak arose, but poor 
Burton could stand it no longer. He rose and ran. An un- 
married son, who was sitting beside him, followed and threw 
himself upon his father's neck and wept, entreating him to 
return. But feeling had mastered the old man, and he went 
away. The son returned bathed in tears, and described how 
his father had been treated by this girl. On being spoken to, 
she immediately showed how proud was her heart, and un- 
bearable her tongue. These scenes arise from the irascibility 
of the people, and from the horror and disgrace which they 
feel in being called before the session. However painful, at 
the time, these things may be, they have always been followed 
with salutary effects.'' 

As illustrative of the social state of the people, Mr. Jame- 
son refers to the numerous family quarrels which had occurred 
among his congregation during the year. The husband sought 
to enforce the duty of submission on his wife with his fists or 
his cane. The wife also made too hot a use of her tongue, 
and in the height of passion, would take off the ring, trample 
it under foot, and throw it in the face of her angry lord. The 
black man, patient in many respects, is far from being so with 
his brother, and least of all with his wife. 

Rum, too, was producing incalculable mischief. The oppor- 
tunities of obtaining rum had been greatly multiplied, and 
many were plunging headlong into the vortex of intemper- 
ance. This led Mr. Jameson to urge upon them the practice 
of temperance or total abstinence. One after another came 
forward, resolving that, in the strength of " Massa Jesus," 
they would take no wine, rum, porter, brandy, etc. A good 
number joined a total abstinence society ; others, afraid of 
attempting too much at once, joined the temperance move- 
ment. These, feeling their own weakness, expressed their 
reliance on Jesus Christ for the help they needed, and were 
not afraid of the taunts and jeers of the wicked. 



Jamie's excuses fob the drop. 



141 



The excuses of others for not giving up liquor were amus- 
ing. One man did not know how he could take a dose of 
castor oil without a little rum. With another, tea did not 
agree, and rum and water formed the best substitute. An- 
other could not get wine, willing as he was to join the tem- 
perance. 

" ' But/ said Mr. Jameson, ^ do as I and others have done, 
give up wine too.' 

" ' Oh, Massa, you want to kill we, to put we in we graves 
altogether.' 

" ' Well, Jamie, you look very poorly ; have you been sick V 

" ' I was in town, Massa, and bad v»^ater gave me sore belly.' 

" ' Astonishing, Jamie, the town water never gave me sore 
belly. Now, tell me how much rum you drunk in town.' 

" ' Not much, minister j just a little among the bad water.' 

" ^ Now, Jamie, I know very well you were drunk every 
night. It is the filthy rum you swallowed, and not the bad 
water, that makes you look as if you had risen out of your 
grave. Give it up, Jamie, and that will save, not kill you.' " 

The testimony of an eye-witness like Mr. Jameson, so con- 
scientious and impartial, respecting the working out of the 
emancipation, must be regarded as peculiarly valuable, be- 
cause it is correct and trustworthy. Those who had charge of 
Goshen estate seem to have acted in a violent manner to the 
people. The result was disastrous to the property. So com- 
pletely were the people scattered, that the site of the negro 
village which, when Mr. Jameson went there, had a popula- 
tion of not less than 500, is now a common, and there is 
hardly a person living on it. 

The following cases are painful illustrations of reckless and 
unrighteous treatment inflicted by arbitrary powder on parties 
who had not the means of resistance or of redress : — 

" One of our people on Goshen estate, a very excellent 
man, and one who has been steadfast in his profession, was 
admitted to the Lord's table at the first communion, which 
took place in the spring of 1839. On the Monday following, 
the overseer, on learning the circumstance, came to the field, 



142 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



and abused him in the vilest manner, opened and discharged 
the enmity of his heart by cursing and swearing, and calling 
him hypocrite, liar, scoundrel, etc. The follower of Jesus 
answered meekly, ' Busha, me wish to serve Christ ; me wish 
to do somethmg good for myself now.' In talking to him 
about the matter, I said : ' Murray, you must lay your ac- 
count with reproach for Christ, but be you steadfast.' 'Oh, 
yes, Massa, me know that ; me don't mind suffering for Jesus, 
for he suffered so much for me.' 

In a few weeks afterwards, he was ejected. He was 
turned out upon the world with his wife and children, home- 
less and destitute ; his provision grounds were spoiled, and 
the produce of them sold for the benefit of the estate, or 
eaten by its servants. On asking the reason, I was told that 
Murray was cunning, lazy, etc. I never could learn the 
particulars of his transgression. None of the neighbours 
who lived near him and worked under him, could lay any- 
thing to his charge ; and the general conclusion was that he 
was too often with minister, and, for this fault, was turned 
adrift, and that he had once applied to the magistrate for protec- 
tion against a wanton act of aggression on the part of one of 
the estate's managers, which step gave great offence. I can- 
not say how Murray acted in the field, but, as a professing 
Christian, his conduct has been most exemplary ail along ; 
and with tears and with much depression of spirits he used 
to tell me of the rudeness and unfaithfulness of those around 
him. An asylum, however, was found for him on Salisbury. 
He and his family lived there during the summer of 1839. 

^' Robert Laing was the driver of the second gang. He be- 
came sick. The doctor saw him and prescribed for him. As 
medicines were furnished by the estate, he sent for the dose, 
and got it. Becoming worse, he sent again, when instead of 
the medicine, a rent account was sent him, amounting to six 
dollars, or 24s., for two weeks. I happened to call on him 
that morning, and he showed me the paper. He wept, and 
said, ' Massa, I am not able to pay that rent. I am sick, and 
cannot work. And even were I well, how could I pay such a 



CASES OF OPPRESSION. 



143 



rent, when my wages are only 5 s. a week ? ' I went to the 
overseer and remonstrated with him, and nothing for the present 
was done. A few weeks afterwards, as I was returning home 
in the evening, a person called me. ' What is the matter ' I 
asked. ' Robert Laing wants to see you.' On going to his 
house, I found it locked. When Robert came, he said, Oh, 
Massa, my house is taken from me, and my furniture is thrown 
out upon the road ; and my wife and I know not where to go, 
or what to do.' ' Who did so ? ' ' Busha.' I turned my 
horse to go down to the house. The people said, ^ You need 
not go, for he has left home.' Next morning, I went to 
the attorney, who lived fourteen or fifteen miles distant, 
and got the sentence of ejectment recalled, and the house 
re-opened. 

" Some weeks afterwards, I received a letter from the over- 
seer, desiring me to interfere no more, but allow him to discharge 
what he considered to be his duty. I waited to see what this 
would be. A warrant of ejectment goes forth against Laing. 
The court ^ decides that the sentence shall be carried into effect 
on Monday, giving Laing Friday, Saturday, and Sabbath to 
prepare for the event. Against this decision, Henry Walsh, 
Esq., the stipendiary magistrate, protested in the most solemn 
manner, but a majority of the magistrates ruled against his 
opinion. Laing came to tell me the decision of the court. He 
said, ^ I will do what I can on Friday and Saturday, but on. 
Sabbath I will come to the church, and get some comfort there. 
I leave all with God.' On Monday they were ejected ; their 
house was demolished ; their provision grounds spoiled ; and 
the defenceless family thrown on the world as vagabonds, to 
seek a home where they could best find it, and that among a 
number of estates whose managers have agreed not to employ a 
labourer from another estate, without a certificate from the 
overseer. 

" Laing and his wife were sheltered by a neighbour. He 
was warned that if he persisted in affording them shelter, he 

1 A court of local magistrates, consisting of planters or attorneys, or even over- 
seers, who receive commission from the Governor of the Island. 



144 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



would be ejected also. Grant, however, continued to admit 
tliem under liis roof, although they dared not go there except 
during the darkness of the night, when they would creep into 
the dwelling of their friend, to partake of that cheer and rest 
which it afforded. Before the morning star had ceased to shine, 
these children of hardship and sorrow had to rise and seek 
concealment. They had to separate, and sometimes did not see 
one another for several days together. 

" The reasons assigned for this mode of treatment are such 
as these :— It is necessary to show the people what the law can 
do. Mild measures will spoil the labourers. Stringent measures 
are safest for the people and the country, and the only means of 
carrying on successfully the cultivation of the estates." 

Mr. Jameson wrote to the attorney on 2()th February, 1839, 
protesting against the treatment which Laing and his wife had 
received. 

Ejectments, as I have now seen them, are a retribution 
fitted only for the worst of characters. Permit me, in the most 
earnest manner, to solicit your interference to put an end to 
such proceedings without delay. 

"Ejectments are producing feelings in the minds of the 
people which will endanger ultimately the prosperity of the 
estate, which are unfavourable to yourself, and which, although 
pent up through terror, are yet ready to burst forth with 
terrible violence the moment that the proprietor,^ daily expected, 
sets his foot on Goshen. 

" Again, I am disposed to say on behalf of Goshen that the 
conduct of the people, since the 1st of August, has not merited 
such retribution. They were among the very first, not only in 
the district, but in the country, to resume their labour after the 
commencement of freedom, and from that time to the present 
moment, they have been among the few who keep the lead. It 
is true that some things have not been as we could have wished. 
Those who were born, and have grown up as slaves, cannot, in 
a day, become true freemen. At present, therefore, instead of 
alarming the people, and turning their joy into bitterness, it is 

1 H. Barkly, Esq. 



ME. BAEKLY COMES. 



145 



our duty, for a season, to bear with the follies of what may be 
called the childhood of freedom ; and, with a discipline which 
the circumstances of the case, and w^hich mercy require, to study 
to dispel everything Utopian in the views of the people, and lead 
them to see more clearly what is their duty to God and to man. 
This object I keep steadily in view in all my labours ; and I 
feel that this severe system is taking my people from me, is 
raising their fears, disappointing their hopes, unmanning their 
energies, and setting them adrift upon the world, before that 
experiment be fairly tried, which, by the blessing of God, will 
in the end prove fully successful. These considerations I urge 
upon you from an unfeigned heart, from a desire to be faithful 
to God and to a people who have placed themselves under my 
guidance, and from best wishes for yourself." 

"Ejectments went on. In July, I received a letter from the 
attorney, praying me to interfere to stop the people from leav- 
ing the property, as forty were on the eve of moving, besides 
many who had gone, and many more who were preparing to go 
as soon as an opportunity offered. Only one or two people 
belonging to the estate were in the field ; the whole work of 
cultivation was in the hands of strangers, and carried on at 
great expense." 

Thus did Mr. Jameson endeavour to pursue an even course 
between the masters on the one hand, and the people on the 
other. He did not approve of rabid attacks on the former, but 
much regretted when they were made. He did not consider 
it to be his duty to discuss politics in public meetings with his 
people, but he endeavoured to correct what he saw to be wrong 
in their conduct. If the employers refused to listen to his 
expostulations on behalf of the oppressed, he knew that there 
was a self-rectifying principle in freedom that would soon write 
folly in their mad measures, and that in the most effectual man- 
ner. And so it came about in the case of Goshen. Mr. Barkly 
arrived in time to save his valuable property from the fate of 
a ruinate. The master came and reckoned with his servants. 
He delayed long enough to give the harsh mode a fair trial, 
long enough to show that a free population cannot be coerced 

K 



146 MEMOIE OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 

by those to whom their hands are necessary. At his coming, 
the people flocked to state their grievances. Mr. Barkly declared 
he had never seen such an ebullition of pent-up feeling ; and he 
set himself to undo the mischief and injustice of the past. All 
concerned in these measures were removed ; all the ejected were 
recalled, their houses were restored, and their wages increased, 
while a more equitable arrangement as to rent was proposed. The 
strangers working on the estate were paid off. Murray was 
reinstated in his former office, and a new house was erected for 
Laing and his family. " The wcrk of the estate," wrote Mr, 
Jameson, "is now wholly carried on by the estate's people^ 
they are cultivating their grounds with diligence, although they 
complain of scarcity, caused by the sad scenes of last summer ; 
Goshen is now covered with rich cane fields ; the plough is 
daily at work ; sugar is being made ; Goshen has thus sur- 
mounted past evils, and once more is happy and prosperous. 
All this proves that the perversity which has been so generally 
and loudly complained of, arises in part, and perhaps in good 
part, from the mistreatment, as well as from the disposition, 
of the people. Treat the black man with equity, and he will 
generally be found to make a grateful return, yea, he will be 
disposed to pass over those minute details which, were he 
scrupulous, he might urge in his own favour." 

The following conversation between Mr. Jameson and a car- 
penter, who had been ejected from Goshen, and recalled by Mr. 
Barkly, is well told, and is exactly what one still carries on 
with the more intelligent of our West Indian peasantry. We 
may give it as a specimen of minister and man, and also as 
illustrative of the position in which the freed people found 
themselves, in many cases, after emancipation. It must be 
borne in mind, however, by those who would have correct view^s 
of the question between masters and people, in those days, 
that what was true of some was not so of all. A vast deal of 
mischief to the cause of freedom in Britain and America has 
arisen from not attending to this fact. Each estate has its 
own history. And, probably, there was a very great variety 
in the mode of treating the people, in different parts of the 



PLANTEES' FOLLY. 



island, or, at least, on different properties. In some places in 
the leeward parishes, at least, the work-people on the estates 
continue to occupy the same negro villages which they occupied 
in the time of slavery. There were no ejectments. There were 
equity and forbearance towards the people, and there was, 
therefore, no interruption to the working of the estates. Yet 
Goshen is a sample of a class of cases, which was too numerous, 
and which must be considered as sufficient to account for much 
that is to be deplored in the history of emancipation, but which 
many have most unrighteously, either from ignorance or malice, 
laid to the charge of the freedmen. Surely every impartial 
judge will agree with us, that such treatment as that which 
was experienced on this, one of the finest and most productive 
properties in Jamaica, was simply suicidal, and did not deserve 
to succeed. But while the people on other properties may have 
been treated as foolishly and unrighteously as those on Goshen^ 
there was no Mr. Barkly to come and correct the mischief, by 
applying a timely remedy ; and thus the people were perma- 
nently alienated and scattered, and the properties became what 
in Jamaica is called a ruinate, where once fertile fields are 
covered with useless bush, and expensive buildings are in the 
last stage of dilapidation and decay. And some of these pro- 
perties, in the palmy days of Jamaica, afforded revenues on 
which proprietors lived in comfort amid the refinements and 
luxuries of British society. 

We venture one other remark here before we copy the con- 
versation between Minister and Nelson, — it is due to the 
slandered peasantry of the West Indies, and it is, that for the 
I unjust and ruinous treatment of the people the proprietors were 
[ not altogether, and, in many cases, not at all to blame. We 
1 would not that our remarks were supposed to criminate, in the 
very smallest degree, the proprietors of the Trinity estates, who 
j were upright and honourable men. Living at home, they did 
( not know what was being done by their managers, who would 
have acted very differently had the properties been their own. 
The interests of both proprietors and people were thus wantonly 
sacrificed in many cases by coarse, immoral, wrathful men, who 



i 



148 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



were utterly unfit to manage such gangs of people. While 
slavery lasted, and the horse-whip could be used at pleasure, 
the sugar was duly made, and the rum duly distilled ; but when 
arbitrary power was taken away, these men lacked the moral 
and intellectual fitness for their new and altered circumstances ; 
and, worst of all, they lacked that self-control without which 
no man can rule his fellow-creatures. The history of Jamaica 
and of " Freedom " has yet to be written. Pity will it be if 
that noble passage in British colonial history shall fail to 
find a worthy writer — a man with the qualities of head and 
heart which it demands and deserves — with powers of re- 
search, and imagination, and sympathy, and eloquence worthy 
of the theme — one with leisure to perambulate the mountains 
and valleys of the sunny isle, and hear with his own ears what is 
said by the now lessening generation on whom slavery vented 
his last expiring rage, and to seek after and peruse the records 
and correspondence of the time. 

To this day, the people of St. Mary s speak of Kelly, the over- 
seer referred to above, as a man who was fit for any deed of 
violence or cruelty. They say that when he had charge of 
another property, before he came to Goshen, he used to grind 
people on the grindstone. From his wanting a finger, they, 
to the day of his death, used to call him tumpy-finger Kelly." 
He became a proprietor, and died a few years ago. The 
people say that his death-bed was horror ; and that in his 
delirium he called for the Goshen people to come and get the 
money of which he had defrauded them. We do not vouch for 
the truth of these stories about this individual ; but there 
is no disputing that there were worse things done in Jamaica 
than Kelly was charged with — done, too, by men who had 
been born in Christian Britain. 

Let us now hear the conversation between Minister and 
Nelson : — 

" M. ' Well, Nelson, how d'ye 1 ' 

N. 'So, so, Massa.' 

M. ' What are you doing now ? ' 

N. ' I am carpenter on Goshen again.' 



TALK ABOUT EENT. 



149 



M. ' You 'were ejected, were 3-011 not ? ' 

iV^. ' Oil, yes, my good minister, everytliing taken from me : 
put out of a house which I built mj'self j cut the timbers with 
my own hands, on my Sabbaths, when a slave ; brought them 
from the wood on my own head ; and paid fippence (3d. ster- 
ling) for every bundle of thatch that I put on it.' 

M. ' Did your grounds suffer ? ' 

j^. ' Grounds suffer, Massa ! ! Ay, Massa, my grounds were 
destroyed. There were plenty of provisions in them — good 
provisions, Massa — and Biisha not only took them from me, 
but gave them to the hog's, ate them himself, and sold them. 
But my Master in heaven is good, Massa. Jesus better to we 
than we deserve. He turn things for the better. Massa 
Barkly come out and put things to right.' 

31. ' Where did you go when you were set off from Goshen ? ' 

N. ' A man on Guy's Hill had compassion upon me, and 
gave me a piece of land to build a house upon, and plant some 
provisions. I built a little hut, and planted a ground and 
fenced it, but the gentleman's cattle came and eat all my pro- 
visions — every yam and cocoa in my field,' 

M. ' What did the gentleman do for this ] ' 

A^. ' "^ATien I told him, he was very sorry for it, and came 
and saw it, and gave me five shillings.' 

M. 'Five shillings ! did he not give you any more V 

JSf. ' He said he had no more at present, but would remember 
me again.' 

31. ' Did you ever get any more ] ' 

JS^. ' jSTo. He was kind to me in my distress, and I do 
not wish to trouble him.' 

3£. ' Have you got any provision grounds since your return 
to Goshen V 

A^. ' To tell you the truth, my good minister, my labour 
has been so often abused, that I have not strength (courage) 
to raise any more provisions.' 

31. ' How do you get provisions for yourself and family V 

N. * I buy them in the market.' 

M. ' But I am sure you have every confidence now in 



150 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



Goshen. Mr. Barkly has done all he can to restore confi- 
dence, and to secure you quiet possession of your houses and 
grounds.' 

N. ' True, Massa. But Mr. Barkly goes home, and we do 
not know what will take place after that.' 

M. ' You knew Mr. Grigor of old, when he was book- 
keeper on Goshen. You all loved him then ; and it was the 
fond recollection which you had of him that induced Mr. 
Barkly to raise him to the office of attorney.' 

JSf. ' True, my good minister ; but men sometimes very 
good when book-keeper, but very bad, wicked, when big 
attorney.' 

M. ^ True ; but I now know Mr. Grigor a little, and so 
far as I have been able to discover his principles, there is no 
fear. I would have none, and I do not think you need have 
any.' 

^ But Mr. Grigor may die, and another may come who 
will pull and mash us V 

M. ^ No ; Mr. Barkly has taken good care of that ; and 
after what he has done to those who were here before Mr. 
Grigor, none will ever venture to enter upon such a course 
again.' 

iV". ^ I do not think it right, Massa, to build a good house 
for myself, or repair my old one, so as to make it quite com- 
fortable, when I must, at the same time, pay rent weekly for 
the house.' 

M, ' Well, but Nelson, Mr. Barkly gives you cattle to 
bring your timber from the wood ; he gives you doors and 
windows, and he gives you £4 currency (£2, 8s. sterling), 
to purchase nails, etc' 

N. ^ Massa, I am a carpenter, and I know my trade, and 
I can tell you that is nothing at all to the expense of putting 
up a good house. No, Massa, I do not think it good that 
when I pay such a big rent for my house, I should spend any 
of my time, and labour, and money in building it. Now, my 
lord—' 

M. ' Nelson, don't give me these fine names ; I don't want 



LONG-HEADED NEGRO. 



151 



them, and I can't suffer them. Call me minister ; but ' lord,' 
or ^ papa/ or such stuff as you give to your leaders, don't 
give to me. Besides, these names you ought to give to 
Christ, and him only. He is your Lord, he is your Father, 
and the man who receives such titles or names from you is 
proud and presumptuous, and takes what he has no right to.' 
' Beg pardon, Massa ; beg pardon, minister.' 

i/. ' I only tell you, that so you may know what is right. 
Well, what w^ere you going to say V 

N, ' Well, my minister, suppose I desired to leave Goshen, 
and I went to Massa and said, Massa, Nelson is going away, 
he is not to work any longer on Goshen. Or, suppose Massa 
called me and said, Nelson, I have no more work for you ; 
therefore, you can seek work where you can find it. Would 
it not be a good thing if I had nothing of my own to leave 
on Goshen, if I could carry with me all that belongs to me V 

M, 'True: 

' Well, minister, you see, if I build the half of this 
house, giving my time, and labour, and money for it, and 
Massa never give me anything but poor £4, the loan of his 
cattle, and a door and a window or two ; and, at the same 
time, make me pay rent of £6 a year, Massa is never 
paying me for my work and everything, but I am paying 
Massa ; and when I leave Massa, I leave what I have made 
with my own hands, and with my own money, and for which 
I have never got thanks.' 

M. ' Well, Nelson, what would you like V 

N. ^ I would like if Massa would build us houses, and give 
us proper grounds about the houses.' 

M, Would you take one of these houses f 

N. ' Take one, Massa ! I glad to take one. I very happy 
to pay rent for it. Then if Massa and I parted, I would 
not be the worse of Massa, and Massa would not be the 
worse of me.' " 

]\Ir. Jameson adds : — " I have given this conversation at 
length, as it contains the pith of the rent question, which, 
at present, is the subject of discussion among us. It discovers 



152 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



a shrewdness in the negro which, in a little time, will utterly 
discomfit all attempts to settle such great questions on any 
other basis than that of equity. Proprietors may meet the 
people half-way ; and such advances, combined with kindness, 
the people feel and generally appreciate. But so long as 
entire equity is wanting, so long as the people are required to 
spend a considerable portion of their time, and labour, and 
wages, to erect houses for which they are charged rent 
fully equal to their value ; so long as this rent is levied, not 
according to the value of the houses and grounds, but accord- 
ing to the will, and as it best suits the convenience of the 
proprietor and manager, in the way which will raise most 
money to enable the estate to pay the wages at the least 
possible cost to itself, the payment of rent will be unsatis- 
factory to the people. Any peace which now happily pre- 
vails, arises out of the contrast with a worse state of things, 
which has now passed away ; but it is only the healing of 
the surface of the wound, whilst the root of the disease re- 
mains to fester and to break out anew. Another consequence 
arises out of this state of feeling. The people, whenever they 
are able, are purchasing patches of ground, of three, or five, 
or six acres ; so that the population, advancing in the pur- 
chase of land at the same ratio, may soon be proprietors of 
the soil. A father purchases a few acres to settle, as he says, 
his children when he dies. This practice, rendered desirable 
and necessary by the base practices of many managers, since the 
commencement of freedom, is yet of very questionable expe- 
diency in advancing the future prosperity of the country. It 
is for the interest of the proprietor, for the ultimate benefit of 
the emancipated population, for the prosperity of the country, 
and for the success of freedom, that a system be adopted with- 
out delay, by which the labouring population will be lodged 
and settled in security and comfort, and with entire equity. 

" In the transition from slavery to freedom, the negro had 
the same right to compensation for the house which he built, 
as the master for the slave which he bought. The same argu- 
ments which hold good in the one case, hold good in the 



HONESTY THE BEST POLICY. 153 

other. This would not only have been a matter of equity, 
but of expediency. It would have prevented much of that 
misunderstanding and asperity of feeliog which told upon the 
fields, and now tell upon the pockets of so many. It would 
have set at rest the question to whom the houses and grounds 
belonged ; and it would have prevented the belief that the 
Queen was to make over to the people their houses and 
grounds — an impression which was everywhere prevalent, 
and which required to be rectified by a proclamation from 

j' the Home Government. It is true that the existence of such 
a belief among the people vvas openly denied by a few, and 
the Government proclamation was pronounced wholly unneces- 
sary. The reason that induced the few iDdividuals referred 
to to adopt such a course, is best known to themselves. But 
true it is that what was declared to have no existence, existed 
in my district, and, so far as I can learn, existed everywhere ; 
that the Government proclamation, instead of being unneces- 
sary, was the very thing needed ; and that since that procla- 
mation was made, the impression has wholly disappeared. 
And what I say is, that had the people received compensation 
for their houses for which they were now to pay rent, the 
erroneous impression now referred to would not have existed, 
a Government proclamation would not have been required, the 
value of the houses would have been distinctly ascertained, 
and a just rent would have been of easy introduction." 

But amid all the excitement of the crisis through which they 
were passing, Mr. Jameson's ardent piety, as genial and tender 
as it was manly, seems to have sufi'ered no abatement. 

j The following, dated 2d January, 1840, to Mr. Bryden, is 

i both touching and beautiful : — 

" In your last, of 3d July, you mentioned the loss of two 
of your children. Oh ! gladly I say and think with you, ' they 
are not lost.' The thought that our beloved dead were lost, 
would be altogether insupportable. The knowledge that our 
sweetest flowers are decayed in the dark and lonely grave, is 
hard enough to bear ; but, if there were no spring time, no 
morn on which to meet again, if there were no celestial para- 



154 



MEMOIR OF EEV. Y/ILLIAM JAMESO^^T. 



dise, where our lovely flowers are now richly blooming, no house 
from heaven with which their spirits are clothed upon, how, oh, 
how could we bear up 1 Blessed Jesus ! for taking our nature 
and destroying him who has the power of death ! Blessed 
Jesus ! for throwing such light upon a world unknown ! May 
we follow our loved ones in due time ! Happy the meeting ! 
no parting again !" 

Mr. Jameson attended a meeting of Presbytery in the be- 
ginning of 1840. Mr. Cowan and he returned home in com- 
pany. He talked of Mrs. Jameson's death a great part of the 
way home. Mr. Cowan had ne^'er seen him so much over- 
whelmed. He reached home on Saturday night, and after the 
Sabbath services, was seized with fever. Mr. Cowan went to 
see him, and found him suffering much. His mind reverted to 
Mrs. Jameson's death, and he feared that his own end was nigh. 
His people were all anxiety. Mr. Cowan was met, on all hands, 
on his way home to-night, by people running to ask for him. 
One, in his own peculiar style, said, ' If anything happen to 
minister, it will knock us all to pieces ! ' " The above notice is 
from a letter written by Mrs. Cowan, on the 8th of February, 
1840, before Mr. Jameson had recovered. She adds : " I trust 
his valuable life will be spared, for the work's sake, aud for our 
sakes. To us his loss would be incalculable, and much more 
to the cause here." 

The following extract is dated 25th February, 1840 : — 

" The masons are now preparing stones for the building. 
The people busy themselves, on Saturdays, at the lime-kiln. 
Yesterday (Sabbath) afternoon, the congregation spent an hour 
in supplicating the Lord's direction in this important under- 
taking, and His especial blessing on the friends who are so 
deeply interested in their welfare ; also upon the contributions 
which they themselves and others had made, and were making, 
to forward the work." 

From a letter to his aunts we take the following (27th Feb- 
ruary, 1840) : — " Catherine is getting very like her mother. I 
hope she will prove like her in her many estimable and endear- 
ing traits. For of all whom I ever knew, although she had 



THE MISSIONS A EY SICK. 



155 



never been mine^ Nicolis possessed all that was amiable and 
lovely. She used to say I was too good for her ; but the reverse 
was the case. She was riper for glory than I, and has sooner 

entered on its full enjoyment Oh, if we understood what 

it is to be with Christ, and were our hearts truly raised above 
this transient scene, how little would we hanker after the earthly 
society of departed friends. We would envy their present con- 
dition ; we would be animated with their success ; we would 
rejoice in their glory and happiness ; we would prepare to follow 
them, and long to embrace them in that world where all is 
holiness and beauty and love. In my musings, I sometimes 
find myself talking to Xicolis. I know not whether she is near 
me or far away ; still I like to cherish the thought that though 
unseen, she may yet be near. Oh, how much do we owe to 
the Eedeemer for bringing heaven so near, yea, for making its 
very angels ministering spirits to the heirs of salvation, and for 
preparing for us a house from heaven after our earthly taber- 
nacle is dissolved ! If the apostle had illustrated this subject 
from nature, as he illustrates that of the resurrection elsewhere, 
he might have pointed to the caterpillar drawing along its slug- 
gish and limber body, its only enjoyment being to feed on leaves, 
and to this same creature, when it appears in another form, 
full of life, sportive and gay, speeding through the air, dancing 
in the sunbeam, and visiting spots which as the sluggish cater- 
pillar, it never could have reached. Who knows what ^the 
house from heaven is,' with which the soul, unwilling to be 
found naked, is clothed when this earthly house is dissolved ? 
. . . . Tell my mother to dry up her tears, and to be cheer- 
ful and happy. Dear Nicolis has overcome, and has sat down 
with Christ on his throne. If I saw my mother above this 
trial, its bitterness to me would be past." 

From the first, Mr. Jameson laboured strenuously to induce 
the people to help themselves, and they felt and responded to 
his appeals. 

On Friday we met, and read your letters, and agreed to 
raise the school fees. The congregation will make another col- 
lection on the 1st of August, and thus they will be trained to 



156 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



that duty, which they will be called upon, sooner or later, to 
discharge. I am glad to say that they appear to be willing to 
do everything in their power to assist in the great work. 

" We are now overhead in church building ; twenty masons 
have been at work during the last three weeks. Our greatest 
difficulty is in getting carriage. Wains we have been promised 
over and over again, but when the time comes, there is some- 
thing in the way. If getting up the shed was trying, the 
church is to be still more so. We have fine timbers and stone, 
and plenty of water. Sand is the article most difficult to be 
got, having to be brought a distance of three miles. God is 
with us, and your hearts and prayers are with us. The expense 
of getting the whole set agoing is very great. Mr. Barkly's 
£300 we have not yet touched, but we will soon, I fear, have 
to set upon it also. Can you put at our command £600 ? 
We will begin to pay it up as soon as the church is built. Mr. 
Moir is better ; my little one is well ; and I am quite recovered. 
Mr. Cowan and I visited the school a few days ago. The pro- 
gress is astonishing, and the children are in a high state of 
training. Mr. Barkly has gone into the proposal of building a 
house for Mr. Moir at the church, the interest and part of the 
principal to be paid annually." 

But the prospects and hopes of Goshen were again dis- 
appointed in the wisdom of the Lord, who sees it needful to 
lead his people through hard experiences. Mr. Moir's health 
gave way under his arduous labours. He tried a visit to Man- 
chester, but with no permanent advantage, and, at last, was 
forced to return to Scotland. The following letter was written 
to the directors on the 3d of July, 1840, the day on which Mr. 
Moir left Goshen : — 

" Mr. Moir has this night left us for the ship, and once 
more our little family is weeping. All is silent and sad. It 
looks as if death had been again at work. The evening is 
closing about us, and the silence and gloom which reign in 
our little dwelling, recall this time last year with its sadness 
and woe. The last week has been a busy time at the Pen — 
every one bringing something to teacher before he went away. 



ME. MOIE LEAVES. 



1.57 



They brought baskets of cocoas, yams and plantains, abundance 
of eggs, pines, and cocoa nuts, and fowls in dozens. He leaves 
this with the tears and deep regret of all who know him. In 
the event of his recovery, I hope he will apply himself to his 
studies, and take license, for he possesses many fine qualifications 
for the ministry." 

At a meeting of the Jamaica Missionary Presbytery, held 3d 
July, 1840, Mr. Jameson was requested to take charge, for a 
short session, every year, of those students who had made con- 
siderable progress in their studies. These had gone to Jamaica 
as catechists, in connexion with the Synod's Mission, and with 
that of the Scottish Society, and were desirous of preparing 
themselves for the ministry. Mr. Goldie, who expresses him- 
self gratified in " adding a stone to the cairn" of his old teacher 
and friend, says that Mr. Jameson was well qualified for super- 
intending their studies, "as he had himself enjoyed the oppor- 
tunity of receiving a thorough education, and had evidently 
well improved it. At the time of the vacation of our schools, 
we went up for a month to Goshen, and were domiciled with 
him, while he and we did our best to improve our short session. 
The studies to which we chiefly gave our attention were New 
Testament Greek, Hebrew, and Divinity. In this last he did 
not prepare any lectures, so as to give a system of his own, 
but adopted Dr. Dick's work as a text-book, and taught by 
examination. I do not recollect that _ there were ever more 
than six in the class, so that he was able to give all necessary 
attention to each of his students ; and he and we had full op- 
portunity of becoming acquainted w^ith each other, and with the 
subjects to which our attention was directed. Some of the 
parts of Home's Introduction were also regularly brought under 
review j and short essays and discourses were prepared on topics 
and texts named by Mr. Jameson. He was in the custom also 
of giving to each of us a somewhat extensive subject, on which 
an essay was to be prepared, and brought up next year. 

"Being brought into such intimate association with Mr. 
Jameson, we could not but know him thoroughly. He was one 
of the most unselfish of men I have ever met with. His own 



1^)8 



MEMOIR OF RSY. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



comfort, his own honour, his own everything, he thought not 
of, if, by any sacrifice of them, he could promote the comfort 
and well-being of others. Moreover, he was most eminently a 
man of God. Latterly, he was a man of one book, and that 
book was the Bible. All leisure time was devoted to its con- 
stant perusal. Thus, ' though in the world, he was not of the 
world, but had his conversation in heaven.' And, as I have 
heard the late King Eyo say, 'He spoke of heaven as if he had 
been there.' " 

The following notice of the work at Goshen Hall, is from 
the Rev. William Anderson, of Old Calabar : — " We are quite 
busy and quite happy. I feel that it is good to be here. We 
meet at 6 a.m. to read Greek, and dismiss at half-past 8. 
Then we have worship and breakfast. We meet again at 10, 
read Hebrew, are examined on a portion of Dick's Lectures, and 
one of us reads an essay. This occupies till 3 p.m. We then 
dismiss for dinner, and have the afternoon for study. At both 
meetings we receive a great deal of instruction from Mr. 
Jameson." 

As fruits of Mr. Jameson's labours in this department, we 
can point to Mr. Elmslie of the Grand Cayman, Mr. Aird of 
J amaica, Mr. Anderson of Old Calabar, and Mr. Goldie himself. 
All these brethren have been honoured to do much in the 
Lord's work ; and the last has translated the whole of the 
New Testament into the language of Old Calabar. 

The following letter shows the busy missionary taking time 
to notice the kindness of young friends, and to remind them of 
the claims of Jesus on their hearts and services. It is ad- 
dressed 

" To THE Rose Street Church Sabbath-School Association, and to 
THE Young Men's Sabbath Morning Class Missionary Society, 

AND TO THE JuVENILE MISSIONARY SOCIETY. 

" September 15, 1840. 
"My veey dear Friends, — I thank you for the very 
beautiful engraving of the church which you have sent me, and 
for the number of these engravings. I thank you for your 



LETTER TO THE YOUNG. 



consideration of our funds. I know not, very dear friends, 
whether my feelings are proper, but I will state them, and leave 
you to decide. I would prefer giving to each family in the 
congregation one of the engravings, as an additional token of 
your kindness, a memorial of the wife of their first missionary, 
and a view of their first church. My feelings with regard to 
ll selling are perhaps foolish and childish, but having few to con- 
sult with here, I will not move until I get your advice and 
approval. I feel deeply your generous consideration, in the 
i! desire which you express to return to me the original painting. 
|! It is needless to say how highly I value this production of my 
\ dearest friend, but it is on that account that I wish it to be 
i yours and not mine. It was executed for you, and I have much 
satisfaction in carrying out the desire of her who is now removed 
from my side. Please, beloved friends, to accept the small 
gift, as a memorial of the wife of your first missionary, and 
as the first fruits of your labours in the gospel in a foreign 
land. I am more than pleased with the numerous copies of the 
engraving, and with the very beautiful manner in which they 
have been executed. 
|, "I have still one object of thanks, and that is, the very 
I valuable letters which you have sent to the congregation. The 
letter from you all as a class, is peculiarly precious ; and your 
advices as to the making of contracts, time of working, and 
hours of resting, are of the highest importance. The people do 
not like to be called idle, or to get the name of being inatten- 
tive to their work. They say that ' Backra newspaper tell false 
on them ; cane never rot here, except when want of rain keep 
j back the mill ; we must make sugar for massa, else we no get 
wages.' 

I " Now, my dear friends, let me express my hope that you still 
continue diligent in your daily labours, and especially in your 
Sabbath class. The knowledge of Christ is the pearl of great 
price. His name is as ointment ; it is a strong tower ; and, 
oh, what is it not to the child of God ! Will some of you 
commit yourselves to the work in Jamaica ] You say we will 
never see or meet our dear friends again in this world, but we 



i 



160 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



will meet in heaven. Why not meet with Goshen Christians 
as well here as in heaven 1 Why not cross the Atlantic as well 
as the Jordan You must cross the one, and why not say yon 
will cross the other 1 We much need help. Six weeks ago, I 
began this letter, and only now am I finishing it. School and 
congregation, church building, and the students of theology, all 
claim my time. I do a little at everything, and fear I make as 
little progress as a body between equal and opposite forces." 

To Mr. Fyfe. 

2At7i November, 1840. 

" I long much to hear from you. Last letter I received 
contained the welcome intelligence that the Synod had agreed 
to send out Mr. Millar. Since that time, I have received from 
the proprietor a note, in his own handwriting, giving the house 
at Bonham Spring for five years, and pasturage for two horses. 
For some time I have considered it my duty to give up Bonham 
Spring, as my general health has been unsound, owing to fre- 
quent fevers, and as I have had more to do at home than I 
could accomplish. The people, however, are wearying much 
for one to teach their children and themselves. I hope the 
Lord will provide. My sister has been telling me of your un- 
tiring efforts to secure a teacher from the Synod. Accept, my 
dear friend, of my warmest thanks for your interest and care, 
and give my best acknowledgments to the committee. May 
the Lord make our way prosperous. 

" The Synod's cutting off her Colonial and Missionary Churches 
from a share in her aid is leaving them to struggle against a 
strong current. It is a severe measure. Other bodies of Chris- 
tians are liberally supported by the House of Assembly and 
parish vestries. The Scottish Kirk is pushing hard to be taken 
under the wing of the Government. The different English 
Societies are carried onward by their churches at home. Our 
people are not made of money. The most of those attending 
our churches are labourers, receiving 7s. 6d. per week, and there 
has been no such outpouring of the Holy Spirit as that recorded 
in Acts iv. 34, 35. There is, however, a system of money- 



POLLUTED GIFTS. 



161 



raising, which, for the welfare of Christ's kingdom, would better 
be broken up. We, who belong to the Secession, desire to 
cling to our Bible, and to the customs of our fathers, as far as 
practicable. We desire to be Voluntaries ; we desire to walk 
according to the law of Christ, that every man give as the 
Lord has prospered him. We desire to defend the purity of 
Christ's Church in this ordinance as in other ordinances. Hence, 
although needful of money, I have considered it my duty to 
return certain sums which were sent me, considering that prin- 
ciple is of more importance in the Church than money. These 
transactions I will give at large in my journal. All things con- 
sidered, I think that the Synod has crippled us sadly, by with- 
holding what would enable us to keep pace with a rising country, 
and putting us in a position for showing the efficiency of the 
Voluntary method." 

Mr. Jameson's princi^Dles v\^ere high and honourable. Once 
he remarked, that the vile and immoral behaviour of some of 
our countrymen, made it almost pollution to put their gifts into 
the treasury of the Lord ; at the same time, admitting that 
there must be a limit to the rejecting the voluntary gifts of such 
men. But one such gift — a liberal one too, and proffered at 
this time of need, when he did not know where he should find 
the funds necessary to carry on the heavy work on hand — was 
promptly and decidedly refused. A neighboming proprietor 
had put down his name for £50 to the building fund. In the 
meantime, he had used unholy freedoms with one of his servants, 
a young woman attending, says Mr. J ameson, " my classes, who 
has, in consequence, been expelled. He sent part of his sub- 
scription, which I considered it my duty to return, stating that 
the money of one who shamed and grieved us, and tended to 
destroy us, I could not receive." The money was sent back 

with the following intimation : — " The disclosures which , 

formerly a member of my classes, made to me, some time ago, 
regarding your conduct towards her, forbid my acceptance of 
the sum you offer to the church." 

The arrival, in November, of his elder sister, who sailed in 
September, 1840, was a happy event for all concerned. She 

L 



162 



MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



had cheerfully devoted herself to promote her brother's comfort 
and usefulness ; and the mission was, in every respect, the 
gainer, — the people, from the presence among them of one pecu- 
liarly fitted for usefulness among the children of Africa, — and 
the missionary, from the companionship of a beloved sister who 
could enter thoroughly into all his anxieties, and hopes, and 
plans. She was recognised, and is still warmly remembered by 
the people as being, in all respects, the counterpart, and the 
worthy coadjutor of their beloved minister. The friends of Mr. 
Jameson and of the mission rejoiced in this arrangement, having 
reason to believe that, amidst bis m.any duties, and in the deso- 
late state of his own home, his personal comfort was sadly 
neglected, and his health seriously endangered. 

The following extracts refer to this matter, and they give us 
a near view of the marvellous affectionateness of the man's 
heart, who, at the same time, was able to make so thorough a 
consecration of himself to the public cause of the Redeemer : — 

" 3d December, 1839. — However much comfort my coming 
home at present might afford me, yet it is altogether beyond 
my power. Baby is yet so tender, that I fear it would injure 
her. She is thriving so well under the kind care of Mrs. 
Cowan, that I should not like to remove her. Besides, I can- 
not bring my mind to leave the grave of my beloved Nicolis. 
I feel as if that would be tearing myself from her arms. She left 
her earthly all for my sake ; she loved me ; she nursed me ; 
she watched over me with unwearied and most anxious care. 
Now she has left me, and all that remains for me to look upon 
is her grave. I delight to visit it, and cannot yet depart so 
far from it. This may be considered an infirmity. Call it so. 
Call it what you please. Still its existence is a reality : and 
the consolation which it gives is ever grateful. Such, moreover, 
is the nature of my engagements here, that I could not possibly 
move from the spot, without seeming to desert my post at a 
most interesting emergency, and without retarding the work to 
a very serious extent. 

"As to your coming out, I know not what to say. After 
what has befallen me, I am afraid to say, ^Come.' I feel more 



SOLITARY AND SAD. 



163 



■'And more, every day, the comfort you would be to me. Since 
my beloved Nicolis has left me, there are none but yourselves 
whom I should desire to take her place in the management of 
my domestic concerns. And it would be a great happiness to 
have my dear child at home with myself, which cannot be in 
present circumstances." The above, as well as the following, 
was to his sisters : — ^' 6th Jiily^ 1840. — I am afraid to 
ask, far more, to preSvS you to come. My poor heart got one 
terrible wrench ; another such would, humanly speaking, be 
far more than I could bear. I am willing to endure my 
present loneliness with patience, according to the grace given 
to me, and fco bear all the sadness and sorrow to which, for 
some months, I have been no stranger, rather than bring other 
friends v/hom I love to this land of sultriness, fever, and rapid 
death. But, oh, my dear sisters ! if you want to see Goshen, 
I want to see you. If you desire to put hand to the glorious 
work, haste and come. We need you in the house, and we need 

you in the field of labour 

" I never felt the loss of my beloved Mcolis so overwhelm- 
ingly as now. All in the Presbytery returned home with light 
hearts and joyful. But my heart was heavy, heaA^ — as my 
father used to say, big with woe. I laid my feverish head 
upon the pillow, and looked in vain for the solace of her wdio 
is gone from me for ever. I can venture no farther. Do not 
show this letter, and expose my weakness. I must bear up 
before the world ; and it is only to you, or to my mother, that 
I venture to lift the sluice, and give vent to the pent-up 
flood." 

Again, lO^A July^ 1840, to the same : — I want you to 
look after my house, and to herd my income. Since Mcolis 
left me, I cannot do this myself. I know not hov^^ my dear 
wife managed to make the ends meet. I wish you to come for 
this, although it were for nothing else : for, if the management 
of the house is left on my shoulders, along with everything else, 
I shall very soon founder. I have not time to attend to it. 
And I feel that debt would endanger the cause of Christ as 
much as anything else." 



164 



MEMOIE OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



In the following letter to Mr, Bryden, February 9tli, 1841, 
Mr. Jameson acknowledges the receipt of gifts from his friends 
in Edinburgh, which came timeously, and were welcomed during 
that season of anxiety. 

" I have to acknowledge the receipt of the boxes. They 
arrived in safety on Saturday from Ocho Eios. I know not 
what to say to you and all friends for this kindness. The 
medicine chest is most valuable ; please, tender the warmest 
thanks of the church at Goshen to Miss Logan, Lauriston, for 
this valuable gift. I am sometimes overwhelmed when I think 
of all that is done for us by you at home, and of the poor return 
I make, even on the score of acknowledgment. All that I can 
say is, that you have the deepest thanks of myself and congre- 
gation, and that your kindness is ever before me and ever 
encouraging me. My apparent remissness is ever lying like a 
weighty burden upon my heart ; but incessant employment 
makes me altogether unable to attend to other duties in which 
I take much delight. No sooner was the Hall closed, than the 
Presbytery came. No sooner was the Presbytery over, than 
Mr. Taylor fell sick, and I had to turn into the school. Thus 
I happen to be, for the present, minister, teacher, and catechist 
at Goshen and Bonham Spring. Of late, I have become builder 
also. I formerly referred to the carelessness of the contractor 
for the walls of the church. His men refused to work any 
longer for him, and he had to retire. By the advice of all my 
friends, I have employed the headman mason, and all are now 
working cheerfully. With one thing and another, I have not 
a moment from the dawn till I lie down to sleep away the 
cares and toils of the day. Keeping books and paying money 
are departments with which I am not well acquainted ; but 
when we rise to duty, and face difficulties, the way becomes 
smoother, knowledge is gained, and habits are acquired which 
more than repay the loss of ease and comfort. The traveller's 
way may be toilsome, along rugged tracks, and in uncongenial 
regions, but his increased information more than repays the toiL 
I know that He whose name is a strong tower is with me ; and 
that your prayers go up daily on my behalf; and truly I have 



A negro's account of the j^all. IG5 

reason to rejoice in my infirmities that tlie power of Christ 
may rest upon me. As a blessing has rested on the coffee and 
sugar we sent you, we cannot but repeat, and, if possible, 
double the quantity of Goshen and Salisbury produce this year, 
for yourselves and kind friends. I am glad to learn by Mr. 
Fyfe's letter, that your soiree succeeded so well, and that your 
noble subscription was so speedily raised." 

" It is said of Britain, that she has only to will a thing, 
and it is done ; how much more truly may this be said of 
the Church of Christ ! Her treasures lie in her will And 
Calvary, and all the blessed ordinances of divine grace, and 
the mighty working of the Spirit of God, conspire to this one 
end — the making of a willing people. The widow of Zare- 
phath found that the more she gave to the Lord's cause, the 
more she got to give. Ever giving she ever increased. She 
learned what God's people, at the present day, more, perhaps,, 
than at any other period, have learned, that there is a giving 
which enriches, and a withholding which tends to poverty. 

" I have appointed this afternoon for the examination of 
candidates for the Lord's Supper. We intend to observe this 
ordinance on Sabbath eight days. There will be upwards of 
thirty new members. There are three young females among 
them of Mrs. Jameson's training, who are hopeful characters. 
The sower goes, but the seed remains ; the sower dies, but 
the seed lives ; the sower must decrease, but the seed must 
increase." 

In a letter to the Eev. John Parker of Sunderland, who, 
along with his congregation, took a deep interest in Goshen, 
and aided the work there in various ways, Mr. Jameson 
(February 11, 1841) gives the following account of the fall 
of our first parents, from the lips of an aged negro, at the 
examination of candidates referred to above : — " Massa (God) 
say Adam must nyamee (eat) all de fruit in de garden, but 
de tree of knowledge. But he say to Adam, ' Adam, you no 
must nyamee dis fruit, else you dead.' De serpent come, say 
to mammy Eve, ' Dis fruit bery good, it make you be wise.' 
Mammy Eve take lillee (little) bit, and bring de oder half 



1G6 



JIEMOIE OF REV. WILLIAM JJ'J'vIESOy. 



gib daddy Adam. Daddy no will taste it fust time, but 
mammy tell him it be bery good. Den him nyamee de oder 
half. Den daddy and mammy been know dat dem be naked. 
Dey go hide in a bush. Massa come from heaven, but Him 
no fin' Adam all about. Den Massa strike him foot on de 
ground, and say, 'I wager Adam been nyamee de fruit.' 
Massa go seek Adam and fin' him hidin' in de bush, and 
put him out of de garden. Daddy and mammy take leaves 
and sew dem for clothes." 

Another said, " Oh yes. me know me be bery great sinner ; 
me sleep in sin ; me sit in sin ; me drink sin ; me nyamee 
sin ; me do notin' but sin ; dis wicked heart make me sin." 

The members of Goshen church were well instructed in 
their duties. They were encouraged to cherish and express 
their gratitude to the friends who had sent them the gospel, 
and to pray and give that the gospel might be spread in 
Africa. There are extant many short letters which were ad- 
dressed to their friends in Kose Street and in Sunderland, one 
or two specimens of which we shall insert here. The first is 
from an aged African female, still alive. It is not easy to 
follow her when she is speaking ; but what she lacks in utter- 
ance she makes up by expressive gesture. 

^' So long time me come from Guinea, my tongue heav}'. 
Jesus so good as spare me to this hour, and send minister out 
here to tell me good word. Bless we (our) teacher and we 
minister, and all the society family at home. With all my 
heart, and with all my mind, I 'member Jesus till last day 
come. Cecilia Haevey." 

" Jane Byefield thank Mr. Simpson to give we minister 
from the Rose Street family, and our minister write home for 
a teacher for we ; and we thank him give we a kind teacher, 
and we love him ; he learn we the word of God. I can 
neither read, write, nor see, but we thankful for the word, 
and we very glad to have we minister and we teacher to give 
we knowledge of Jesus Christ, and we satisfied for minister 
and teacher to stop with we if God spare them. "We cannot de- 
liver up our teacher to Middlesex people. We loved minis- 



LETTERS OF XEGE0E3. 



167 



ter's wife as we love himself. She teached we the same as 
minister himself, when he was not there ; we lose her ; we 
cannot help it. We love the little one left behind. If the 
Lord spare her, we shall be very thankful for it. Mrs. Jame- 
son was kind to Jane Byefield ; and I like her family, though 
I don't see them. I send my love to Mrs. Jameson's mother, 
her brother, and her family, to Mr. Jameson's family, Mr. 
Moir s family, and to the family in Rose Street : my duty to 
them all. J axe Byeeield.'' 

The following is from one who can write himself He 
writes with his left hand, with the paper turned upside down, 
a very legible hand. He has been a consistent member and 
faithful elder of the church, and can express himself with gTcat 
feeling and fluency. 

My deae Feiexds ix Suxdeelaxd, — I love to send you 
a letter. Hope the Lord may be with you. The Lord able to 
send my minister to me. He also able to send minister over 
to Africa. When minister come here, we were in children 
practice. He gave me first lesson-book ; the second day of 
freedom he gave me Xew Testament. And now I have the 
whole Bible. I learn my Sabbath morning hymn through 
the week. The hymn I am now saying is the fifty-first : 
* Soon shall this earthly frame dissolved.' Our verse is 2 
Cor. iv. : ' If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are 
lost.' We are reading in Judges, and in Acts, the story of 
Peter healing the lame man. My kind regards to Mr. Parker 
and all the congregation. Robeet Hamiltox." 

The ^vriter of the following is also an elder — one who is 
still bent on self-improvement : — 

" ^Iy deae mixistee Paekee, — We have received your 
interesting letters, and our minister has read them to us. 
We hope the Lord may bless their interesting words to our 
souls. As God has given us the Bible, may he grant us the 
Holy Spirit, that we may carry it with us wherever we go. 
We have heard with much pleasure what you say about sup- 
porting the gospel. Our church building takes away from 
us, at present, all the money we can spare. "\Mien it is finished, 



168 



MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



we hope to join you in doing more to support the gospel, 
and to send it to Ethiopia that she may stretch out her hands 
to God. We send you, through the family in Kose Street, a 
little coffee and sugar for your tea party, and hope that soon 
we will be able to do much more. Hareis Anderson." 

Many will affect to despise these simple effusions. But not so 
the thoughtful, who consider nothing that is interesting to a hu- 
man creature, foreign to their business and bosoms. See an African 
in Africa — such an old woman as Cecilia Harvey ; heathenism 
and superstition have shrivelled and withered up almost every- 
thing human about her. Her thoughts rise no higher than the 
instincts of a mere animal. It is almost impossible to say 
anything that can pierce that dead intellect and petrified heart. 
But yonder, in Jamaica, see her in the very evening of her 
days, with opened heart, and awakened intellect, stretching 
forth her withered hands to a compassionate Saviour, declaring 
that with all her heart and with all her soul she will remember 
Jesus till the last day. Jesus shall win such trophies even in 
the wilds of Ethiopia herself The voice that shall wake the 
dead ! can it not rouse even the dead soul of an African in 
Africa 1 It can, and it will. 0 Jesus ! the hour is coming. 
Let it now be. 



SELF-COXSECEATIOX. 



169 



CHAPTER VII. 

Jranaica Pres'bytery meets at Goshen — The missionary dedication — Seasonable 
aid — The fatherless child sings himself into Canaan — Vindication of the African 
Mission — Chnrcli discipline — Mr. Donaldson arrives — Miss Mary Jameson — Battle 
against the caste of colour — The Divinity Students — Death of Rev. James Patersoii 
— Review of 1842 — Church completed and dedicated — ]ilr. Donaldson's departure 
and death — All ours is God's — Review of 1843— Heartless corrupters. 

The following, from the pen of Miss Jameson, gives an in- 
teresting account of the meeting of the Jamaica Presbytery in 
July, 1841, at which it was resolved to embark in the mission 
to Africa. The Presbytery met at Goshen, and Messrs. Blyth, 
Waddell, Anderson of Bellevue, Niven, Scott, Simpson, Cowan, 
and Jameson made up the band. 

" They had two days of anxious deliberation in regard to 
Africa, and of earnest prayer to God for direction in the deeply 
important matter which they were considering. Mr. Waddell 
introduced it, and read extracts from Buxton's work.^ After 
he sat down, all was silent for a few moments. Then each 
minister rose in his turn, and solemnly devoted himself to 
Africa, if God should call him. I v^dsh, my dear friends, you 
had witnessed the scene. Looking at every difficulty and 
danger, and many such await Christ's servant in wild, untamed 
Africa, these eight devoted men solemnly pledged themselves to 
the enterprise of a new mission there. Do you ask how I felt ? 
I was lifted above myself at the noble bearing of the men." 

Let us pause for a moment, and contemplate the scene that 
took place on that occasion, when of these brethren, after two 
days' deliberation, each in turn arose and solemnly devoted him- 
self as the leader of the forlorn hope in a new assault on the 
kingdom of darkness. This had been brought about, partly 

1 The Slave Trade and its Remedy, by Sir T. F. Buxton. 



170 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 

througli the desire of many of the people to see something done 
to extend in Africa the same glorious gospel which had given 
them joy. At the time when this self-dedication was made, 
they had in view no particular part of the Guinea Coast. They 
only desired to put themselves at the disposal of the Lord, 
who seemed at that particular time to be asking, " Whom 
shall we send, and who will go for us f The Spirit of God 
moved them all to say, Here are we, choose thy messenger. 
By thy grace we are a.ll ready to be offered for thy cause in 
wretched Ethiopia." The vow was heard in heaven. Two of 
that band were sent. One of them laid his bones in the dust 
of Africa ; and of the remaining six, one died in Jamaica, while 
the other five live to see the result of that day's dedication. 
The seed which they thus planted, has begun to spring. We 
look to thee, 0 God, for the power from on high, that it may 
grow up a tree of life and liberty for countless living and 
unborn thousands. 

The following letter to the Kev. John Parker of Sunderland 
(5th August, 1841), mentions a striking instance of the sea- 
sonable aid with which our Father in heaven favours his 
children : — 

" Your very welcome note came by last packet ; and it was 
read to the church last Sabbath morning. It strengthened my 
hands and encouraged my heart, for your arguments against 
dreams were like those which, from time to time, I had brought 
before them. I asked the people why Mr. Parker said the 
same thing that I said. Because he gets it where I get it. 
The blessed Bible is the book of my friend in Sunderland, as 
well as our book, and it teaches us all the same thing. ^ Achan ' 
I read to them yesterday, in their 1 st of August meeting. May 
the Lord bless your esteemed labours among us, as well as at 
home. 

" I have, my dear brother, things innumerable to thank you 
for. The Bethel Flag is a beautiful periodical. I circulate 
numbers among the young people's classes ; all read them with 
interest and delight. ' Canaan ' is a simple and beautiful 
piece. We had the two first verses of old ; the other verses 



SPECIAL PSOYIDENCE. 



171 



are a happy addition. There was a run upon it, and some of 
the children have carried it off. 

"The boxes, my dear brother, stand identified with the most 
striking interpositions of Providence on our behalf Our out- 
side walls were finished, and paid for, when it was found 
necessary to build three strong walls inside to support the floor- 
{ ing. This work I had to begin with an empty purse. Your 
box, and the box from Montrose, instead of being landed at 
Ocho Kios, were carried to Montego Bay, where they lay for 
I two or three months. A few weeks ago, I heard that they 
! were at Ocho Eios, and sent for them in m^y straits. They arrived, 
i two Saturdays ago. The following week, £30 had to be paid. 
I I told the people that the boxes were come, and that they must 
buy their 1st of August clothes out of them. On Thursday 
night, at eight o'clock, I had just reckoned the masons' accounts, 
— which amounted in whole to £17, 9s. 7|-d., — when my sister 
came up stairs, and, putting the sale-bag upon the table, said that 
it contained £17, 9s. 7d. I thought, surely she has been look- 
ing over my shoulder, and I could not believe. On counting the 
money, we found not only the sum mentioned by my sister, 
but one quatty (l^d.) more, which was the remaining halfpenny, 
and a penny to the bag. I was then compelled to own that a 
higher One was looking over my shoulder, and, in His own way, 
providing for our need. ^ Weil,' said my sister, ' the Lord will 
provide the remaining sum before it is required.' j^ext morn- 
ing, the masons came in for their money. On being paid, they 
went to the box and bought, so that the money returned again 
to the fund. I paid ; the people bought ; the money came 
back j and now our debt is paid, and £9 remain to meet other 
expenses. Truly, we are the children of many mercies. With 
what gentleness does God rebuke our fears ! How richly does 
He supply our wants, and enforce his own blessed injunction, 
' Be careful for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and sup- 
plication, make your requests known unto God.' How blessed 
to live in the hearts of a praying people ! Prayer begets these 
boxes. Prayer brings them to us in time of need. Prayer 
draws down upon them God's enriching blessing, and makes 



172 MEMOIE OF KEY. WILLIAM JAMESON. 

them answer the purpose designed. My dear brother, pray 
for us. Tell our kind friends, when they send us boxes, to 
continue in prayer for us : for prayer is our wealth, and strength, 
and aid." 

" My dear Brother, — Your two letters on the influence 
of children, are to us most valuable. They have introduced me 
to a wide field of instruction, which, I hope, will be blessed 
both to church and school. Your words to us have been spirit 
and life. 

I have to acknowledge your kindness in regularly sending 
the Herald, I have read the paper of ^iXoirai^ with much in- 
terest. The ' Missionary ' particularly interested and over- 
whelmed me. You will, I fear, consider it heavy work to cor- 
respond with me : for I am slow at the pen, whilst yours is the 
pen of the ready writer. For two years, my thoughts have been 
so much among stones and mortar, and my hours so occupied 
in school, that I feel it no easy work to call up my scattered 
thoughts ; and, as to the pouring them out at railway speed, 
that is out of the question. I hope you will have forbearance 
with the infirmity of a brother, and not ascribe my slowness to 
indifference. I often sigh over those days when it was my 
happiness to sit down quietly in my room, and enjoy those 
hours of retirement, which help to raise the mind above the 
harassments of this world of toil and care, and to fit us for 
communion with God, and for his blessed work. But those 
days are gone by. Still, * there remaineth a rest for the people 
of Grod r Sweet rest ! Blessed the day when the soul enters 
upon the enjoyment of it ! 

" I hope Jamaica will be forward in the great work which is 
to be commenced in Africa. The building of our churches is, 
at present, a barrier to missionary enterprise. Five of us are 
struggling with this millstone ; but we hope, in ; due time, 
through God's goodness, to overcome ; and then we will arise 
and give ourselves with more energy to the work. 

We have just laid in the grave an interesting little boy, a son 
of the late Mr. Kay.^ I took him under my care, on the death 

i Mr. William Kay was sent as a catecWst to Jamaica in February, 1838. He died 



THE DYIXG EOT. 



173 



of liis fatlier. He had been two Y/eeks at his new home, when 
he took scarlet fever and died. He was about the age of my 
little daughter, three years. The last day he was in company 
vrith his little playmate, he sat and sang ^ Canaan.' The last 
word he was heard to utter was ' Canaan,' and now he is in 
the happy land." 

Early in 1841, Mr. George Millar from Edinburgh arrived 
at, and took charge of, Bon ham Spring. The school which he 
taught there, was a blessing to the district. Boarders were 
also received, and several missionary students were among the 
number. 

Friends at home thought that the Jamaica missionaries were 
going rather fast in the matter of a mission to Africa. Exist- 
ing engagements were heavy ; and how could they enter on a 
new enterprise of magnitude and importance, until the Jamaica 
Mission had taken shape, and been somewhat consolidated 1 The 
following letter, dated 4th January, 1842, dwells upon this 
point, and indicates the claims of the brethren to credit for 
soimd sense and moderation, as well as zeal and faith : — 

I have, to-night, received letters from two of my brotliers, 
who appear to be under the impression that I am on wing for 
Africa. By last packet but one, I received your kind favour 
also, which alluded to the same subject. I purposed to write 
you by return of post, but being engaged with the students, I 
had not a moment's time. I find it necessary, however, to let 
other duties stand for the night, and betake myself to this 
one. Instead, therefore, of writing my brothers, I address you 
on this important subject. I am not aware what peculiar aspect 
the Presbyter}^'s measure may have assumed at home, or upon 
what grounds I, more than any other of my brethren, should 
be considered as about to go to Africa. I have not the least 
idea that I shall be honoured with a trust of so vast importance 

in IS-il, after tlu^ee years of faithful senice at Mount Horeb, ten miles south of 
Montego Bay. The Jamaica Preshytery recorded in their minutes iJanuaiy 19, 
184:2) "their sense of the great loss which they sustained in the death of Mr. Kay, 
whose unwearied diligence in the cause of his divine Master, whose unassuming 
manners and sincere piety had endeared him to the members of the mission, and 
gained for him the affection of those among whom he laboured." 



174 



MEMOm OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESO>r. 



and difficulty. But if the appointment fails upon me, I shall 
accept of it only upon condition of its receiving the entire con- 
currence of the Society, whose agent I have the privilege to be ; 
and provided another be found to take the oversight of the work 
and flock here. 

" These two points were expressly referred to when consi- 
dering the question, and they enter as elements into the mea- 
sure. So much for the position of the question in relation to 
myself. I would now direct your attention to the reasons 
which led the Presbytery to adopt these resolutions. It seemed 
to us that a wide door was about to be opened for missionary 
Icxbour in Central Africa, and, in consequence of this, that there 
was a loud call to the Church of Christ to make preparation, 
and to hold herself in readiness to enter, and to occupy the field. 
It was also impressed upon our minds that, in this great en- 
terprise, the Church in Jamaica should show herself not only 
interested, but forward in undertaking the work. If coldness 
appeared among Ethiopia's children, where was zeal to be looked 
for ] We felt also that it belonged to us, the ministers, to 
guide our people. In considering the question, we also felt that 
as yet we were but minors, and could not act with the full 
freedom and vigour of manhood ; but we considered it our duty 
to act according to the circumstances in which we were placed. 
\Ve therefore proposed that each member of Presbytery should 
devote himself, individually, to the cause of Africa, and that 
he should feel himself bound to carry the gospel to that be- 
nighted land, should Providence call him to the work. In 
the spirit of this resolution, it was also agreed to offer ourselves 
to the churches at home, as willing to be their agents there, 
should they desire to occupy that field. To tliis we were induced, 
from the consideration, that agents will be more easily found 
to come to Jamaica, than to go to Africa, — that we were, in 
some measure, already acclimatized, and, therefore, better pre- 
pared for a more trying region than persons from home, — that 
we were already, in some degree, acquainted vdth the manners of 
the negTo, and inured to the toils and trials of a missionary life, — 
and that, enjoying the confidence of our people, a number of the 



THE AFPJCAN MISSION. 



175 



best people in oiir churches might be induced to accompany us as 
colonists. We also proposed to support the agent who went from 
among us, feeling assured that, by so doing, the funds which are 
necessary for the carrying on of the work here, would not thereby 
be damaged. Such are the reasons which led to the resolution 
recorded in the minutes of last Presbytery. As we are yet 
under tutors, it remains with the church at home to say whether 
any portion of Central Africa shall be occupied by us as a field 
of missionary laboiu". "We feel that we cannot go and leave 
our flocks in Jamaica uncared for. Our places must be filled 
with efi&cient agents. It woidd be false philanthropy to leave 
our people destitute, for the purpose of carrying the gospel to 
those who are not a people. But any one of us is willing to 
submit, once more, to the pang of separation, to break the 
dearest ties, and to face the deep, the perils of an African climate, 
and the trials of an infant mission, for the benefit of our 
churches, — that Ethiopia may stretch out her hand to God,^ — 
and that we may bear a part in working out the most rational 
method yet proposed for the amelioration of Africa, and the 

destruction of the slave-trade I am happy in Goshen, 

and I hope I am useful. I love my people ; and were I to 
consult my own feelings, I would much rather live and die 
among them. And I confess it is my most earnest wish never 
to be long out of sight of the gTave of that dear one who left 
all, and accompanied me to this distant land ; and much do I 
desire that my grave should be in hers. But Jesus calls upon 
me once more to take up the cross. I trust that I shall be 
foimd preferring him to my chief joy, and that you will be 
ready to bid me God-speed. But of this, my dear friend, there 
is no prospect, at present : yea, during the past year, respon- 
sibilities and difficulties of various kinds have been increasing, 
which will serve to tie me down here for years to come. Of 
these I will tell you more afterwards. K God has work for 
me elsewhere, He may soon remove them all. But one thing is 
dutiful, — never to leave the Church of Christ in a state of dis- 
order in one place, for the purpose of establishing it in another. 
To dishonour it where it is established, is not to contribute to 



17G 



MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



its stability in anj^ quarter ; and, to speak without mystery, T 
must stay here till the debt on the church be paid." 

In reviewing the work for 1841, Mr. Jameson wrote to 
the President and Directors of the Missionary Association in 
Rose Street Church, 4th February, 1842 : — 

" I sit down to give you a brief sketch of our proceedings 
at Goshen during the past year, in which it will be seen that 
there is much cause for humiliation, as well as for gratitude 
and praise. There are 177 families on our list, most of 
which are whole families ; while, in the case of others, some 
of the members come to us, and some go to other churches, or 
to no church at all. Ten families have joined us since last 
report. Five or more of our young people have married, and 
set up separate families. Seven persons have been admitted 
to the communion of the church. The smallness of this num- 
ber arises not from want of applicants, but from the necessity 
of being cautious. There have been eight baptisms, and eleven 
marriages. On the same day, and at the same time, an old 
father and mother, with their young son and his bride, were 
united in the bonds of matrimony. 

" A few of the members and catechumens have been sus- 
pended, — three for quarrelling, and one for allowing his 
daughter to leave his house on the Sabbath-day, with her 
hoe and her basket, for the purpose of beiug ready to go to 
work next morning. An elder, I am sorry to say, was de- 
posed for carrying his tools on the Lord's day, and bringing 
them with him to church. One of the catechumens was ex- 
communicated for killing his neighbour's ass ; he hacked it 
with his cutlass till it died. Others have been admonished 
by myself and the session ; but, on the whole, I have much 
reason to be satisfied with the peaceful, sober, and consistent 
behaviour of the congregation. Their attention to the means 
of grace has been regular, and the progress of many in know- 
ledge satisfactory. 

" The week-day classes for religious instruction have not 
been so regular as I could have desired ; neither have I been 
able regularly to visit the congregation. This arises from the 



REPOET OF THE YEAE. 



177 



necessity of being daily in the school, and from the numerous 
and varied matters that are continually pressing upon me. I 
feel, however, more and more, the want of this minute inspec- 
tion. Our Sabbath audience remains much the same; the 
house is as full as is convenient. I have reason to believe 
that, when we get into our new house, our audience will be con- 
siderably increased. Subscriptions and collections have been 
regular. Subscriptions, £105 sterling ; collections, £50 ster- 
ling. Along with this, we have raised a fund of £8 for me- 

I dicines and medical attendance. Altogether, our contributions 

i amount to £163. The law of the medical fund is that every 
one who pays 1 s. sterling, is entitled to medicine and medical 
attendance. In this w^ay we aid one another, and, by a united 
effort, we help the weak and poor among us in sickness. 

" The building has been standing still, for the last six 
weeks. The roof is finished and the estimate ended ; and I 
have not had leisure to arrange for the laying down of the 
floor. This I intend to begin with as soon as possible. Pro- 
vidence has brought help to my hand in this time of need. 
Mrs. M 'Do wall, a very excellent lady, a member of Port 
Maria congregation, is to give us the loan of £500. I am 
to pay six per cent., to give a bond on the property, and re- 
fund the money in six years. I am much concerned to see 
the sad distress at home, and the more so, as I am not in cir- 
cumstances to ease you of the heavy burden which this mission 
imposes. I will make every effort to relieve you as far as 
possible. I intend to establish a regular system which will 
be permanent. I feel much for my native land, and pray 

j the Lord to remove his hand of judgment. I am sorry to see 

* a falling off in the Synod's Mission Fund." 

On February 25th, 1842, he wrote to Mr. M'Gilchrist : — 
I am truly happy that the report of the Station for 1840 
gave so much satisfaction to the Directors, the Society, and 
friends. I hope the Lord is blessing us, but often fear lest 
he withdraw his gracious presence. Oh, there is much bar- 
renness among us, much that is wrong, little that is right. 
1 often think that all we possess is in answer to the prayers 

M 



178 



MEMOIR OF EEY. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



of dear friends at home. For myself, I have to cry out, j\Iy 
leanness ! my leanness ! AVhen I became a missionary, I ex- 
pected to have nothing to do with the world's troubles and 
bustle. Whereas, I have everything to do with it : for no- 
thing can move but through my poor instramentality ; and I 
do assure you, touch it in whatever way, from whatever 
quarter, and by whatever motive, your soul must partake of 
its plagues. But the fact that we enjoy your kindness, your 
sympathy, and your prayers, cheers, supports, and comforts us. 
Our sacrament, on the last Sabbath in October, was delightful 
to us ; and the thought was most sweet that you were with 
us at the same work. I often think, on the Sabbath morning, 
that it is good for us that the sun rises upon you first : for 
your morning prayers are at the throne for us before we begin. 
Thus, I sometimes think and say that we are the better of 
you in this matter ; and it is a strong consolation to ask God 
in my closet, family, Sabbath-school, and morning prayer, to 
hear the prayers which we know are presented for us, on the 
morning of this day, by dear friends in Eose Street, and to 
bless those who have been prajing for us." 

On hearing that JMr. Peter Donaldson had been appointed 
to the office of teacher and catechist of Goshen, Mr. Jameson 
thus expresses his feelings : — I am delighted to see that 
Mr. Donaldson is appointed to be my fellow-labourer among 
the young. I cannot feel grateful enough to you, and to our 
dearly beloved friends in Eose Street, for this new expression 
of deep interest and love. It will be a great relief to me, and 
enable me to attend more fully to the congregation. We have 
got a very comfortable house fitted up for him, near ourselves ; 
it is far from the school, but he will have a horse." 

The amount of school fees collected during the year 1841, 
was £32, school having been held only during nine months. 
There were 125 boys and 112 girls on the list, in all, 237. 

Eeferring to her brother's activity at this time, Miss Jameson, 
22d April, 1842, wrote :— 

" Our beloved William has much need of relief Ever since 
the Hall ended, he has had the whole work of a school of more 



ARPcFv'AL OF YOUNGER SISTZP., 



179 



than 100 cliildreu, teide^ liis ministerial duties. Our doctor 
says, ^ Parson Jamason is an iron man : the climate has no 
effect on him at all/ I never saw a minister at home go through 
the half of what he does. Ever}- nighty I think he will come 
home to me sick." 

Thus does he again weep with those that wept, in a letter to 
y^T. M-Gilchrist, 20th May, 184:2 :— 

I was sorry to learn that the Lord has, once more, visited 
you with affliction, and removed one of your tender lambs to 
his own fold above. The loss to you is great, but the gain to 
the dear child far exceeds our utmost thoughts. Your cup is 
Ijitter, but hers is unmingled sweetness. Oh yes I my boy and 
his mother, your darling and her grandmothers, have all met 
loDg ago, and met many more dear departed friends, and have 
talked over scenes in Goshen and Rose Street which are full of 
interest to their now glorified spirits. I cannot but look to 
heaven as my home, as the dwelling-place of the partner of my 
soul, as the home of my kindred, as the meeting-place where I 
shall once more shake hands with those from whom I have been 
long and far separated, and where I shaR be introduced to dear 
ones in Christ, whom I never saw in the flesh. 

" The blessed God has not stripped your garden of all its 
pleasant flowers. I rejoice to hear that another bud has ap- 
peared upon the stem that, so lately, was bereft of its lovely 
blossom. May this tender bud long bloom, and be an ornament 
to her father's house, and bear fruit to the glory of God.'' 

The following letter refers to an arrangement by which the 
mission family at Goshen obtained an addition to their happi- 
ness, and the congregation another zealous and efficient labourer 
for their good. Miss Mary Jameson arrived in Jamaica in 
January of 1843. VTnen Mr. Donaldson was removed in 
August of the same year, she aided in conducting the school 
till, in 1846, the family was bruken up by Mr. Jameson's 
departure to Africa. She then became the wife of Wilham 
!Milne, Esq. She came to Scotland with her husband in the 
year 1848, and died in 185o. Like her brother and sister, 
she is still held in affectionate remembrance at Goshen. Pos- 



180 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



sessed of good natural talents, and a cultivated mind, she was 
distinguished for her amiability. Her piety was deep and fer- 
vent, and her end was peace. 

It is a family letter, and one which, on that account, might 
he withheld. But it is so like the man, and breathes such a 
spirit of devotedness to the Lord's cause, and such elevated senti- 
ments throughout, that we cannot deny the reader the benefit of 
seeing it. Would to God that the same spirit of simple confidence 
in God, and entire consecration to his service, lived in every genu- 
ine Christian bosom ! The best afi'ections of the heart would not 
then stand in the way of the Lord's cause, but parents would give 
their children, when the Lord had need of them ; and far more 
Christian men and women would offer themselves to the work of 
the Lord in heathen lands, while the treasury of the house of God 
would overflow with the givings of a willing people, at length 
girding themselves, in right earnest, to the enterprise of gospelling 
the whole human family. Oh, the grim silence of death covers, 
like a pall, the face of many nations ; and how few are at the 
work of removing it ! "We are only at the outskirts of vast 
Ethiopia. When shall the messenger of peace from the west, 
shake hands with his brother from the east, in the centre of her 
desert wild ] When shall the voice of mercy awaken the echoes 
of numberless valleys, and hills, and forests, which are yet un- 
known to Europe 1 Oh, thou King on God's holy hill of Zion, 
may we not soon see a willing people, beauteous with holiness, 
and many as the morning dew-drops, hurrying to and fro, with 
thee on their lips and in their hearts, preaching thy unsearch- 
able riches to these most miserable outcasts in the land of Ham ! 
Let the Church of God know assuredly that Africa is not to be 
gospelled at small cost of time, and toil, and men, and money. 
That vast stronghold of the devil is not to be conquered by the 
awkward squad," or by a handful of raw recruits. To save 
" God's black but comely child " will be no child's-play. ' It 
will, as indeed the whole mission work, looked at in its grandeur, 
as for the honour of our blessed redeeming God, require the 
true manhood and womanhood of the Church of Jesus. Let 
this be understood. 



LETTER TO AUNTS. 



181 



- I am afraid, my dear Aunts, that you will think hard of 
?| my asking Mary to come to Jamaica. But you brought us up 
for the Lord, and you gave us to the Lord ; and surely for 
: your dear children to be engaged in the regeneration of a lost 
l| world, is the best portion, and the greatest honour. The sepa- 
I ration is painful, but the meeting will be the sweeter, whether 
j it be on this side the grave, or on the other side. I cannot say 
when we may be home. This is entirely in the hand of God. 
I At present, it enters not into my calculations. I feel much 
i happier to attend to the work in hand. God controls our every 
movement, and his promise is, — ' With mine eye set upon thee, 
I will show thee direction.' 

" I feel with reference to Mary's life as I do respecting my 
own, that they are in his hand. We can only fill up the 
measure of our days ; and neither the cool climate of Scotland, 
nor the warmer latitude of Jamaica, can add one moment to 
this measure, nor take one moment from it. All who believe 
'i the word of God must be satisfied of this, — that as hirelings we 
• must fulfil our days, and that the number of them can neither 
be increased nor diminished by any movements of ours. But the 
I being over solicitous about this frail spark may cause a halting 
in our Christian race, and may fill the end of our days with re- 
gret. Nicolis was honoured with but a short period of warfare 
in the mission field, but who can doubt that she fell at the post 
assigned to her, or who can say that she would have lived a 
moment longer in the house of her mother, or in any house in 
Scotland % She had work here to perform. She lived to do 
it ; and when next we see her, Jamaica will beautify her crown 
with its brightest lustre. The Lord prepared the way for Jane 
I to follow. She is happy, and blesses the day that she put 
hand to the work, Mary desires to join the company. I dare 
not forbid, lest I should quench a fire which the Spirit of the 
Lord has kindled. I do not forget that I may die, and that 
I without being able to lay up a fraction ; but the earth is the 
Lord's, and the fulness thereof; all that I have is the Lord's, 
and it all goes in his service. I cannot accuse myself of ex- 
travagance in my stewardship. I know that He will provide 



182 



MEMOm OF EEY. WILLIAM JAMESO??". 



for my sisters and daughter, and not the less so^ because they 
have followed the Saviour in the regeneration. I am truly glad 
to see how well and happy Jane is in this distant land. Cathe- 
rine thrives amazingly under her care ; and what more can I 
desire 1 The Lord has emptied my cup, but he has filled it 
again. His billows have passed over me, but his tender mercy 
has calmed their raging, and placed me again by the waters of 
quietness. How long the calm may continue he only knows, 
I desire to hold every blessing with a loose hand, excepting 
Christ, the rock of my salvation. The likeness of my dear 
Kicolis, which our aunt in Edinburgh has so kindly sent me, is 
very precious to me. She all but speaks. She looks, but sees 
me not. But hush ! farewell i" 

The arrival of the portrait above alluded to, was the occasion 
of a renewal of all Mr. Jameson's tender recollections. After 
all had retired to rest. Miss Jameson heard him come down 
stairs softly. She arose, and, on opening the door of her bed- 
room, she saw her brother with a candle in his hand, bathed in 
tears, standing before the portrait. The females, when they visited 
the Pen, were wont to drop a curtsey before it, *in testimony of 
their fond remembrance of their departed friend. 

The arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Donaldson is thus intimated to 
the Directors, June 14, 1842 : — 

" My deae Friends, — Mr. and Mrs. Donaldson have at last 
arrived, after a long passage of eleven weeks. For preserving 
them through so many perils, I trust we feel thankful to the 
God of our mercies ; and for this fresh token of your interest 
and love, next to the great God, would I return the thanks of 
my poor heart to the Board of Education and to you. Yes, 
my dear friends, my heart is too full to utter all its thoughts. 
May the God of heaven bless you ! May your abundant sow- 
ing produce for our blessed Master prosperous fruit ! 

" Mr. Donaldson has commenced his labours, and promises to 
be all we desire, — anxious, vigorous, and affectionate. The 
children seem to be much interested in him, and he happy with 
them. The school-house is rustic, and, to a stranger fresh from 
the metropolis, sufficiently uncomfortable ; but our friend is not 



THE CASTE OF COLOUE. 



' put about. He walks over the rough floor, and gives his word 
of command, as if he had long been accustomed to such things. 

' His quadruped is a mule, named Kitty, a young bud of the 
mission tree, reared and trained by my boy William. She is 

|i saddled every morning at eight, when she moves off with her 

!' charge, as if she felt happy in being the bearer, and careful 
lest she should inflict any injury, this being her first outset in 
the work. Mrs. D. also enjo^^s good health. I have advised 

(her not to teach any for some time. She must first get a house 
beside the school, and, even then, it is necessary that she should 
do but little. We are much delighted with Mrs. D. She is 
well fitted to be a blessing to her husband, an auxiliary in the 
jj work, and a comfort to us. They went into their house last 
' night. Their abode is of a rougher texture than the one they 
left on the other side of the Atlantic, but we have made it as 
comfortable as we could. G-od's blessing and presence will 
make them happy ; and His grace, I hope, is making them 
ij content." 

' Writing to Mr. Bryden, June 21st, 1842, Mr. Jameson says : 
— " There is one circumstance to which we have not ventured 
to give prominence. Robert Jarrit, whose name you will observe 
in the list of successful candidates for prizes, is a negro. At 

jl his entrance into the school, the brov/n parents and their 
children stormed, and threatened to vv^ithdraw. We determined 
to adhere to a righteous principle. He has made honourable 
progress, and his superiority has silenced the clamour of preju- 
dice. His appearance at the examination was injured by his 
modesty. He trembled like a leaf, and the big tears rolled 
over his dark cheeks, while his voice was quite smothered. 
Several specimens of elegant penmanship were laid on the table, 
in competition for the prize. After considerable difiiculty, two 
vv^ere fixed upon, as best and second best, by the gentlemen 
present. It turned out that both belonged to Jarrit." 

The following extract is from a letter of Mr. Donaldson, 
21st October, 1842 :— 

" On Monday morning, I commenced my labours in the school, 
and I had no great difiiculty in conducting it, even from the 



184 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 

first. Mr. Jaraeson assisted me the first week, and showed me 
the system he had been pursuing. It nearly resembled the 
most approved systems of the schools in Edinburgh, especially 
that of Circus Place Academy, and was, in fact, as nearly as 
possible the system I intended to adopt. Mr. Jameson is an 
excellent teacher, — as good as any I have ever seen. He is a 
complete missionary, and I assure you that between the church 
building, the school, and his other duties, he has enough of 
work ; indeed, I am surprised how he gets on at all. Highly 
as he is esteemed by friends at home, he is by no means over- 
valued by them. I had heard much about him, before coming 
to Jamaica, and now being his associate and assistant, I can say 
all things I heard of this man are true." 

The follovvdng pleasing picture is from Miss Jameson's pen, 
in a letter to the Misses Pringle, 20th December, 1842 : — 

" You will like to know about our Divinity Hall. It met 
last week, and is a real good concern. There are five as sub- 
stantial Scotchmen as you could wish to see. The Professor 
seems quite in his element, and has the best of health. The 
students seem to be happy and comfortable, and come in from 
their studies always in high spirits. They sat very close last 
week, and were the worse of it. William, therefore, determined 
that they should take a ride every day after dinner. About 
four in the afternoon, they mount their horses and scamper ofi' 
like boys when the school is out, every one whipping up his 
neighbour's horse, and trying to pass him. 

To-night, I joined the party. We rode round by the bot- 
tom of our Goshen hills. The scenery was most beautiful ; 
everything was rich green, and the trees were hanging with 
yellow oranges, and shaddocks, a fruit like the orange, but 
twice as large. William said, in his own droll way, — ' Really, 
lads, we are a formidable party. I think we may take the 
name of the Theological troop ! ' You cannot imagine how 
happy we are. I cannot believe that this is the Jamaica we 
dreaded so much when I was with you." 

One of the marks of true magnanimity is a generous appreci- 
ation of what is excellent in the character, and praiseworthy in 



MR. PATEESOX OF XEAV BROUGHTOX. 



18o 



the exertions, and honourable in the success of felluw-labourers. 
Out upon the littleness that makes us niggardly in our sincere 
commendations of brethren and their works I Flattery is 
nauseous ; mere lip compliment is unworthy of a Christian, 
and incompatible with godly sincerity ; but it is a luxury — the 
heart that is so humble and unconscious of self that it takes 
true delight in preferring and honouring other brethren. This 
was characteristic of Mr. Jameson. Sincerely and gracefully 
did he, on suitable occasions, render honour to whom honour 
was due. And Avhat did he, or what do any, in such cases, but 
praise and magnify the Giver of every good and perfect gift, to 
whom all the virtues, and all the exertions of liis servants are, 
in reality, due 1 

The Eev. James Paterson was the first missionary sent by 
the Secession Church to Jamaica, where he arrived in tbe spring 
of 1830. He laboured with remarkable zeal and success, under 
the immediate auspices of the chiux'h in Broughton Place, Edin- 
burgh, commencing the prosperous station of ]S"ew Broughton, 
of which the Eev. Andrew Hogg is now the pastor. After 
laboiuing for eight years, Mr. Paterson was, in a very sudden 
and distressing manner, removed to his rest and reward. 

Thus does Mr. Jameson refer to that event, in a letter dated 
2d February, 1843 : — "It is my painful duty to announce to 
you the death of another beloved labourer. My friend and 
brother, Mr. Paterson, was on his way, last week, to the. 
Presbytery, in company with Mr. Piobson ;^ when going down 
a declivity at a rapid pace, the gig gave a jolt, by the wheels 
passing into a hollow excavation in the road, and Mr. Paterson 
was thrown out. His companion was mercifully preserved, and 
on his reaching the spot where Mr. Paterson lay, he found that 
life was extinct. This sad event has covered us with the 
deepest gloom. But we desire to be still, and know that this 
is God. 0 that we may improve these repeated admonitions 
which, of late years, the Lord has been giving us. I had a few 
lines from Mr. Robson, who says that Mrs. Paterson and the 
family are bearing up, but the stroke is overwhelming. May 

1 The Rev. Dr. Robson. 



186 



MEMOm OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



the arms of the everlasting God be underneath them, to sustain 
and comfort them. I trust some one will be willing speedily 
to come out, and occupy the place of our beloved brother whom 
the Lord has removed. The climate is most salubrious ; the 
drudgery and toil of an infant mission are over. There are a 
large and flourishing congregation, and a new and substantial 
church and school-house. Little remains to be done but to 
attend to the more delightful departments of the Christian 
ministry. Our faithful brother and his worthy wife and family 
have toiled in season and out of season, yea, beyond measure ; 
and when about to enjoy the fruit of their toil, the Lord has 
removed his servant to his higher reward, and left to another 
this enjoyment in the vineyard here below. How mysterious 
is this dispensation ! But we know that all is well." 

Keporting progress during the year 1842, Mr. Jameson writes, 
2d February, 1843 :— 

" Another year has passed, leaving behind it many tokens of 
the Lord's mercy, as well as much on our part that is calculated 
to humble and abase us. For while the Lord has been giving, 
and we receiving, how little gratitude have we manifested, and 
how little zealous and sincere activity has marked our steps ! 
Truly, while the multitude meet the first moments of the new 
year with shouts of acclamation, it best becomes the Christian 
to be lying at the footstool of his God, confessing the multitude 
of his transgressions, and imploring grace to enable him to 
redeem the time, during the remainder of his years." 

I know but little difference between our congregations of 
1841 and 1842 ; a few have joined, and a few have left us, in 
consequence of marriage, and removing to other quarters ; but 
so few, that it affects us but little in either way. I may say of 
the congregation generally, that it remains steadfast, and is 
making progress in the knowledge of Christianity. During the 
past year, fifteen persons have been admitted, for the first time, 
to the Lord's table, making the total of full members admitted, 
since the commencement of the station, 137. Ten children have 
been baptized, eight couples married, and four persons belong- 
ing to the church have died. Several have been suspended for 



CHUECH C03IPLETED. 



187 



quarrelling, — a sin to wliich the people in tins country are much 
addicted ; one has been excommunicated for adultery, and an- 
other for stealing corn from the field. These latter cases were 
of peculiar aggravation, and filled the whole church with shame 
and horror. While such sins are now and then committed by 
individuals among us, it is pleasing to observe the general feel- 
ing of abhorrence with which the report of them is received. 
This is a token for good, and indicates an advance in moral 
sentiment : for the time is not yet long gone by, yea, among a 
certain class, it is even now present, when such practices were of 
frequent occurrence, and, of course, excited little or no remark, 

" I have endeavoured to set agoing meetings for prayer more 
generally throughout the congregation, this last year. Hitherto. 
I have not given much encouragement to them : for I have not 
considered my people qualified to undertake the duties which 
they impose. Many of the congregation can now read the 
Scriptures : and I have requested that all in a certain quarter 
should meet and read the word of God with one another, and 
pray, and read a tract which I give on my visits, or upon the 
Sabbath-day. The elder in this case is not, as he has been 
represented to be, the teacher or leader. He has never been 
with us an instructor, as I do not consider him capable of being 
so employed. The elder, with us, is an ofiice-bearer, not for 
teaching^ but for riding, and for oversight. 

" The week-day and Sabbath-day classes for religious instruc- 
tion are still kept up. Mr. and Mrs. Donaldson have begun 
to gather together the younger portion of the congregation, 
which I was unable to undertake. My sister, whom the Lord 
has brought to us in safety, will take my class, and I will 
devote a little more of my time to the instruction of the old, 
and of those who cannot read. The Lord has strengthened our 
hands greatly. May it be for His glory, and for the progress 
of His cause." 

The year 1843 saw the church completed. The anxieties 
and efi'orts of the missionary were honoured and crowned with 
success. A substantial house was erected, which will serve for 
generations as a house of prayer. 



188 



MEMOIR OF PtEY. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



Having summed up the entire cost, and entered tlie accounts 
in the church books, he, in one sentence, penned at the foot 
of the last page, gives utterance to his emotions of gratitude, 
in these words — words which will form the inscription on the 
cope-stone of the completed temple of the Lord : — To the 
Most High God be all glory and praise. Not one word He 
has spoken has failed. AV. Jameson." 

The entire cost of the building was £2204. Of this sum 
£780 was raised at the station from 1838 to 1844 inclusive, 
a period of seven years. The magnificent donation of Messrs. 
Davidson, Barkly, and Company, the proprietors, amounted to 
£300 sterling, besides materials. Friends in many parts of 
Scotland and England contributed, by boxes of clothing and 
donations in money, £316. About £73 were given by the 
other stations and friends in Jamaica. The late Mr. Gibb of 
Edinburgh devoted pictures, which were sold for £100, to the 
work, and there was left on the building a debt of £605. 
£500 of this bore interest at six per cent. ; and the whole 
was, at length, extinguished in the year 1857, the church at 
Goshen having paid the interest on the debt, and the congre- 
gational expenses, and spent the surplus in reducing the debt, 
while the Missionary Association of Eose Street Church, during 
the whole time — a period of twenty years — paid the salary 
of the missionary, besides liberally helping to maintain the 
teacher. 

The following extracts describe the opening services, and the 
feelings with Vv^hich the undertaking was regarded by the mis- 
sionary. It was a day replete with interest to him, " being 
the answer to many a prayer, the realization of long-cherished 
hopes, and the blessing of a gracious God on his feeble attempts 
to glorify Him — 

" GosHEX, 12//t Afril, 1843. 
" My deae, Friends, — The long-looked-for day has at last 
arrived, and our church is opened ; or rather, I should say, it 
has been dedicated to our God, for whom it was built, and who 
enabled us to build it. We met, and presented our offering 
with cheerful hearts, and may we not hope that our gift Jeho- 



OPENING OF CHUECH. 



189 



vah, througli Christ, has accepted, that our prayers he has 
heard, and that he will not withhold the blessings which we, 
his people, require. There was necessarily but a short time 
between the fixing of the day and the event, as I wished to 
have the presence and assistance of my early friend and much 

respected brother, the Rev. John Robson 

On the morning of the 31st ult., at half-past ten o'clock, 
the Rev. Bearclslie, an American Independent brother, 
opened the services by singing the last four verses of the 24th 
Psalm, and by reading 1 Kings viii. from verse 10 to the end 
of the chapter, and by offering ujd the prayer of dedication. 
The chapter was read from a new pulpit Bible, which the male 
friends in the congTegation had presented for the use of the 
church. The preliminary services being concluded, ]Mr. Robson 
preached from 1 Kings ix. 3. The words of the te^^t were, 
' Mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.' In 
the discoiu-se, he showed the care of God over his church, and 
His kindness to her, as implied in His heart as well as His eye 
being upon her, and this he did in a way so simple, that all 
appeared lo imderstand him, and with so much beauty and 
power, that all seemed delighted and impressed. On my asking 
some of the people if they understood ■\Ir. Robson, they all 
replied that they understood every word, and one said, ' Yes, 
minister, and I eat every word, for it was very beautiful.' 

''After the sermon, the Rev. Mr. Simpson addressed the 
congregation, giving a brief but clear account of our doctrines 
and government. After this, the Rev. LIr. Cowan addressed 
the church ; then the Rev. G. F. Waters, curate of the Church 
of England ; and, last of all, the Rev. Mr. Beardslie. The 
addresses were all most suitable ; and, I trust, impressions were 
made which, through the mercy of God, will result in gloij to 
the divine Saviour, and in everlasting good to immortal souls. 

" I ought to have mentioned, in its proper jilace, that, at the 
close of Mr. Eol son's discourse, a collection amounting to £37 
sterling was obtained. Since that time, the sum of £10 has 
been presented by Mr. Simpson as a donation from his people, 
who coidd not come to Goshen. This makes the whole £4:7. 



190 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



The services of the day were finished at three o'clock, until 
which time the audience remained with exemplary quietness and 
attention ; and, in a short time after this, all was still about 
the church, which had been the scene, during the day, of so 
much animation. 

" On Sabbath, the Lord's Supper was dispensed. Mr. Simp- 
son preached a powerful discourse from John iii. 14 ; and Mr. 
Robson explained the nature of the ordinance, and served the 
table. Altogether, this has been a season which will be long 
remembered by all in Goshen, which, I believe, will be talked 
of by some of us in heaven, and which will bring glory to Him 
who loved us, and gave Himself for us. 

" Mr. Robson is looking as well as ever I saw him, healthy 
and vigorous. He is truly a messenger of comfort and joy to 
the churches in Jamaica. Whether he ever return again is 
known only to God. For this short and flying visit we are 
most thankful. He has been enabled to say much, and to do 
much that will contribute to the establishing of the cause 
among us." 

To the Rev. J. Parker, \2th A^Jril, 1843 : — "Thus, my 
dear brother, through your kindness, and the kindness of your 
people, combined with the Christian efforts of many other 
beloved friends in England and in Scotland, have we in Goshen 
been able to carry through, or nearly so, our arduous under- 
taking. I need not tell you that it has been a work full of 
difficulty, and that it has required the exercise of patience and 
faith. I was an utter stranger to the varied crafts required 
in a work so extensive, and totally without means to meet the 
expense of it. Nothing would have moved me even to think 
of such a work, but an irresistible conviction of its necessity 
for the good of the cause. In surveying the history of Goshen 
church from the beginning until now, I am astonished at the 
wondrous interpositions of Divine Providence, and inclined to 
break forth into loud shouting of ' Grace ! Grace !' I feel that, 
without your prayers, I would have been as helpless as without 
your boxes. The former brought down the blessing of the God 
of the widow of Zarephath upon the latter, so that the gifts of 



DEPAETUEE OF MR. DOXALDSOX. 191 

yoiu' Cliristian kindness never failed to supply our wants, and 
to cheer our hearts. Allow me, my dear brother, in my own 
name, and in the name of my people, to return thanks to you, 
and to beloved Christian friends in Sunderland, Greenlaw, 
l^ewcastle, and wherever there is a friend who has given us 
his aid." 

Mr. Donaldson's health gave way, in the beginning of 1843. 
He endeavoured to go on with his work, with various inter- 
missions, till the end of July, when he was ordered home, as 
the only means of preserving his life. He went on board ship, 
on the 8th of August ; and, on the evening of the 10th, he 
breathed his last, " and was admitted, we doubt not, to join 
that happy choir, whose song is unbroken by sickness or pain, 
and from whom sorrow and sighing have for ever fled away. 
His tomb is under the waves of the ocean, but his spirit rejoices 
before the throne of God and of the Lamb." 

On the 21st of August, 1843, Mr. Jameson wi'ote to Mr. 
Bryden : — " Your welcome letter came by last packet. The 
letter to which you refer did not reach me. It must have been 
in the ill-fated ' Solway.' You will see, then, why I have not 
acknowledged, long before this, the extraordinary kindness of 
our worthy friend, Mr. Gibb, and why his generous gift has 
been permitted to remain so long in your hands. The fact 
that God gTiided his servant to make a surrender of his paint- 
ings to our necessities, was not forgotten by me, but I wished 
to wait patiently God's own time and way of sending the re- 
sult of the sales. I feel that this new display of our heavenly 
Father's mercy has come in the very best time, on many ac- 
counts. It is a testimony from himself that his eye is ever 
upon us, that the work is his own, and that he will not leave 
us. My poor heart, by late scenes, has been well-nigh over- 
vrhelmed, and the sovereign dispensations of an all-wise God 
have filled me with trembling. The failure of Mr. Donald- 
son's health and his removal from us have pressed heavily 
upon me. My hopes seemed to be blasted, my plans thrown 
into confusion, and my strength made weak. But behind 
that frowning cloud I cannot but see the beams of mercy, and 



192 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON, 



from such an abundant supply in time of need, I cannot 
but hear the voice saying, ^ Be not afraid, it is I.' Oh, I 
desire to be humbled, and to ask why it is that the Lord con- 
tendeth. I desire to be truly thankful, and, with my whole 
soul, to magnify and bless his holy name." 

The following letter to his brother Alexander, 10th Sep- 
tember, 1843, is both interesting and instructive, and full of 
important principle : — 

" You are greatly entitled to call me a careless brother. I 
desire now to write you a fe vv lines in reply to your late 
cheering letters. My heart rejoices in the work of mercy 
which the Lord is carrying on in your soul. Yes, Sandy ! 
we are all the Lord's from top to toe, from the hat to the 
shoe-tie. If there be anything about us of which the Lord 
cannot and will not say, ' It is mine,' to that thing we have 
no right, and of what avail will it be to us ? It will be our 
weakness and sorrow, and not our joy and strength. Some- 
how, we think that our Bible is the Lord's, that the Sabbath 
is the Lord's, the church is the Lord's, the hawhee in the 
plate is the Lord's, our prayers and our family worship, and 
our prayer-meetings, the session, and the visiting are the 
Lord's. But as to my boots, shoes, stockings, trousers, waist- 
coat, coat, shirt, neckcloth, hat, and staff, my penknife, my 
scissors, and my etc., what has God to do with these ? Yes ! 
the more we understand that passage, ' Ye are not your own, 
ye are bought with a price,' the more will we perceive that, if 
the person be the Lord's, his purse is the Lord's, that all con- 
nected with his house is the Lord's, and that whatever is not 
the Lord's, the person is better without. 

" These remarks were suggested to me, dear Alexander, by 
seeing in your last letter, your wish to get Christians to save 
all that necessity does not require, to put into the treasury of 
the Lord. I rejoice in this as an evidence of the work of the 
Spirit in your soul. If the church of the living God would 
act thus, if her members would eat nothing, and drink no- 
thing, and wear nothing, but what health and real comfort, 
not to say necessity, require ; and if they would devote their 



P.ETIEW OF THE YEAR. 



193 



savings to the gi'eat cause of tlie Redeemer, oli, how vast 
would be the treasury which the Church would put at the dis- 
posal of its Lord ! Its extent would shame the treasuries of 
earthly monarchs, and it would humble those who say that 
the kingdom of the King of Righteousness must have aliens as 
its paymasters. Let the Church do her duty. Surely she is 
[l as able to give the money as the men." 

' The events of 18^3 were thus re'\'iewed in a report, dated 
18th January, 1844 : — 

In reviewing the events of the past year, mercy and judg- 
ment are found mingled in the cup which our heavenly Father 
has given us to drink. Our hearts have been kept constantly 
alternating between hope and fear, joy and grief Sickness has 
been wasting some among us ; death has been thinning our 
ranks, and breaking up our limited circle ; difficulties have, novr 
and then, been threatening to obstruct our path, but as they 
approached, a way of escape has been opened up ; they have 
passed like the mountainous iceberg, in frowning silence, and 
the trembling heart was left to sing its song of deliverance. 

" During the course of last summer, I visited the congrega- 
tion, at least, twice, and some parts of it three or four times. 
I went into every house, and talked with every family apart. 
I then gathered several families together, and spent some time 
in public catechetical examination, and in reading the Scriptures. 
I felt much pleasure in this department of work, and I hope it 
proved profitable to the people themselves. I have been unable 
to continue it since I resumed the work of teaching, but I hope 
soon to be able again to begin it, IMr. Jarrit having come to 

I take my place in the school. 

I " Two classes have been kept up regularly for religious in- 
1 struction ; the one meets, on Tuesday evening, at the church, 
I and the other, on Wednesday, at my own house. Since we 
received the lustres from Dr. Young's congregation in A\liitby, 
I we have commenced a monthly prayer-meeting. It is upon 
Thursday, when the moon is nearest full, and has hitherto been 
pretty weU attended. I have also been in the practice of 
going, as often as I was able, to Bonham Spring, on the Thiu's- 



194 



MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



day, for the purpose of preaching. "We generally have a good 
attendance, not only of Mr. Millar's scholars, but of the neigh- 
bours around. Since August, we have endeavoured to enjoy 
the Lord's Supper, on the last Sabbath of every month. This 
we have not been able to accomplish, but, upon an average, we 
have had it every second month. I was delighted to find that 
you had been directed to make similar arrangements. We will 
take your days, and we will be in the midst of the work, when 
you will be around the family altar at your evening worship. 

Our church has not increased in numbers, during the past 
year. None have joined it who were not with us before. It 
was reported that many were waiting until the church was 
opened, to give in their adherence, but none of these have as 
yet come forward. This, I believe, is chiefly owing to the fact, 
that the duty of serving our God with our money is an element 
in our creed. There are Established Churches (Episcopalian) on 
both sides of us, where this divine ordinance is not only not 
enforced, but where the want of it is considered a glory ; con- 
sequently few will leave a church where they are never called 
upon to give, and join one where giving is enforced as a Chris- 
tian duty. A man and his wife have gone out from us, because 
of their aversion to pay their monthly subscription. During 
last year, they resisted the calls of the collectors, and two months 
ago, they started off to the Established Church, where, as the 
negroes say, they wiU be permitted to eat and drink their 
money. 

" A painful case of backsliding occurred in the congregation, 
two weeks ago. A young woman, one of my first scholars, 
taught by Mrs. Jameson, and, until her apostasy, a full mem- 
ber of the church, has been seduced by a white man, and led 
by him into a state of concubinage. The man set himself to 
gain her eye, her ear, and her heart, and to harden her con- 
science ; and this he has accomplished so effectually, that, in 
the face of day, she left her father's home, and proceeded to the 
house of her disgraceful servitude. This is one instance, out of 
many, which the history of the mission churches in Jamaica 
can supply ; and now I feel constrained to ask how long is 



«EYIL :SIEN AND SEDUCEES.' 



this to be tolerated ? Shall our churches and schools be thus 
invaded without end 1 Shall the minds of our youth be poisoned 
continually, their consciences seared, and they themselves ren- 

: dered fit for anything, however base it be 1 Can you do nothing 
to arouse the moral sense of Britain to this stain upon her 
colonies ? To proclaim to every believer in a righteous Provi- 
dence, that Jamaica can never prosper so long as such abomi- 
nations are tolerated, yea, defended as necessary and right 1 
As truly a« God turneth a fruitful land into barrenness, for the 
sins of them that dwell therein, so truly are these men the 
enemies of their country, and of the prosperity of the island, 
as well as the enemies of their species. Why should not this 

' abominable system be made to quail before the public gaze ] 
"Why should it not be swept out of existence by the force of 
public opinion and Christian principle 1 If slavery were bad, 
this is no better. If the one brought down upon itself public 
execration, why should the other be allowed to pass with im- 
punity, yea, and be tolerated upon the ground of necessity and 
right ? Might not the Government be requested to institute 
an inquiry as to the extent of the evil ? Surely, if it be so 
extensive, and every one knows it to be so, who is acquainted 
with the state of things in the colonies, — and if it be accompanied 
with untold evils, no country can thrive, physically or morally, 
with such a curse in its bosom." 

The case referred to above is a specimen case. Many such 
are chronicled in the book of remembrance, as having taken 
place in Jamaica, and indeed wherever missionary labour has 
had to be carried on among Ethiopians in the neighbourhood of 

i godless Europeans. Ministers naturally feel a deep concern for 

'' those young people whom they have taught from childhood, and 
admitted to the fellowship of the church, or whom they ex- 

I pected and longed to see cast in their lot with the people of 
God, — whom they hoped to see grow up strong in virtue, and 
a blessing to their families. Alas, how often are these buds of 

1 promise nipped ! How often do these blossoms go up as dust ! 
How often are these hopes blasted by the selfish and degraded 

^ vices of those whose position in society gives them facilities for 



19G 



MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



the seduction of the young ! How true is it that " one sinner 
(lestroyeth much good ! " 

The evil of which Mr. Jameson wrote with so much holy 
warmth and indignation, still exists to a fearful extent, entrap- 
ping once hopeful youth, disgracing families, degrading the 
people, shaming the churches, withering the hopes of ministers, 
and causing them to writhe with indignant scorn of those 
conscience-seared men who thus recklessly sport with the hap- 
piness and souls of their feliow-creatures. When we look at 
these and other abominations, we cannot wonder that Jamaica 
has sunk, scathed and blarted with the lightnings of God^s 
wrath ; we wonder not that families who once rolled in wealth, 
are now plunged into beggary ; that their properties are hope- 
lessly embarrassed, and that useless bush rankly vegetates over 
thousands of acres which once were the scenes of a busy, but 
blood-stained industry. 



PAINFUL COMTEOVEESY. 



197 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Painful controversy — Can a European Missionary depend solely on a negi^o 
cliurcli ? — Eeluctance of Preachers to engage in foreign ser\dce — Rebelling against 
discipline— Report of 1844— The African Mission— Clifton — Illness of Mr. M 'Gilchrist 
— The Missionary sick— Last Goshen Report. 

Between the years 1831 and 1843, a controversy arose in 
J amaica respecting certain corrupt practices which, were said to 
exist in the Baptist churches. I should be glad, could I see 
my way clear to pass over this matter in silence. I take as my 
own the words of the Kev. Mr. Hinton, in his ^' Life of the 
Rev. Mr. Knibb," on this very question : — ^' I should gladly 
have avoided all reference to it, had such a course been con- 
sistent with my duty as Knibb's biographer." And I can also 
say of Mr. Jameson, what he says of Mr. Knibb : — " The portion 
of his correspondence which refers to this dispute is too large, 
and the development of his character to which it gave rise is 
too important to allow me to overlook it." 

The American Baptists (see p. 34) "had the most obscure 
and limited notions of divine truth ; and their system was a 
compound of superstition and error. Being the first which 
they knew, and being so suited to their own superstitious 
notions, this system made a deep and lasting impression on the 
people," and numbers of them became these men's followers. 
Mr. Gibb's disciples numbered hundreds in St. Ann's, St. Mary's, 
and St. Thomas in the Vale. When these men died, the bulk 
of their followers joined the "White Baptists," through the 
influence of their leaders, and " because they liked the wash, 
that their sins might be washed away." The " White Baptists " 
adopted the leader system, thus made to their hands, and "plenty" 
of those whom Gibb had "set off to pray" (p. 34) became 



198 



MEMOIR OF EEY. WILLIAM JAMESON, 



leaders as well as members in their churches. These nuclei 
carried with them their old leaven of superstition, which could 
not be purged out easily or soon ; and it was alleged that the 
important work of preparing and certifying candidates for 
baptism was too much left to the leaders ; that many of them 
being wicked, and most of them ignorant, the leaders were 
worse than unfit for such a trust ; that they gave to their 
classes no instruction worthy to be called sound and religious, 
but required them to bring dreams, which were called their 
"work," "travel," or "experience;" and that fitness for 
baptism was judged of by these dreams. It was alleged that 
the ministers baptized numbers of people without any intimate 
personal knowledge of them, merely on the certification of the 
leaders that they were fit for the ordinance ; and that while 
they preached to the people in the mass, the discipline of their 
churches was mainly left in the leaders' hands. This state of 
things, it was alleged, prevailed so much in the Baptist churches, 
that it became the duty of other Christian societies to remon- 
strate against it. 

The first remonstrants were several Baptist ministers — the 
Eev. Messrs Coultart, Whitehorne, Keid, and Kingdon. The 
last three also broke up the leader system in their own churches, 
and were disowned by the Baptist Missionary Society. 

This state of things also forced itself on the attention of 
missionaries of other denominations. Mr. Jameson wrote : — 
" We came to know these things, not by prying into other 
churches, but by our people appealing to us for protection 
from a corrupt system, when its superstitions were spread out 
to allure them. As we proceeded in denouncing this system 
among our own people, facts were laid before us, showing that 
it was daily practised in the leaders' meetings. Our people 
live among the Baptists, and these things cannot be hid from 
them." Mr. Jameson was too honourable and too upright to 
join in a senseless hue and cry against brethren who had in- 
curred odium ; and whether right or wrong in his convictions, 
his motives were unquestionably pure. He was concerned 
for the honour of his Divine Master and the true interests 



leaders' practices. 



109 



of religion among the negroes. His convictions were the result 
of a most patient and laborious investigation, and of six years 
of faithful missionary labour, during which he had followed 
the people to their homes, taught and catechised them in the 
most careful manner, and knew them as intimately as any mis- 
sionary ever knew his people. 

We quote a few of his remarks on this painful subject : — 
"I am solemnly persuaded that in the Baptist churches 
there is a most pernicious system at work, which is perpetuat- 
ing, instead of removing superstition, and which, while it 
swells their numbers, ruins their purity." " Evils, many and 
great, have arisen from employing an ill-instructed native 
agency. I refer you to the mass of evidence from almost 
every Christian body in the island, and from Baptist ministers 
of the highest respectability — evidence brought forward with- 
out collusion, and from the purest motives." " If the Baptist 
ministers will only look narrowly into the state of their 
churches, if they rigidly examine their people, separately, if 
possible, from the influence of the leaders, they will find the 
charges brought against the system fully substantiated." " Such 
being my deliberate conviction, it would be poor brotherhood 
indeed to the Baptist churches, to sit still any longer, and 
allow this system to pursue its secret and destructive course. 
It would be unpardonable cowardice, and conscience and the 
word of God forbid me, to be silent about these enormous 
evils. God forbid that I should be guilty of purchasing peace 
at a price so costly." 

In Mr. Jameson's papers there is abundant proof of his 
charity towards the Baptist brethren. Neither he nor those 
with whom he acted, ever accused these brethren of abetting 
or approving the evils of which they complained. Mr. White- 
horne wrote : — The minister can know nothing of the people, 
beyond what the leader thinks fit, nor can he discover from 
the people anything of the leader's character." While the 
practices of the leaders were concealed from the Baptist mini- 
sters, they were revealed to other ministers by their own people. 
The leaders knew that their ministers would have frowned 



200 



MEMOIR OF HEY. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



upon them as sternly as any. Other brethren complained 
that the Baptists knew so little about their people as to be 
unaware of these evils, and that instead of receiving thanks 
for offering help in sifting them to the bottom, they were 
treated as enemies. Among other odious names, they were 
called " slanderers " and " filthy scavengers " — a title which, 
if their services were really needed, reflected less dishonour on 
them than on those churches which they sought to cleanse. The 
purity of these mission churches was dear to all genuine mis- 
sionaries. 

Mr. Knibb, a great and good man, ever to be mentioned 
with honour as one of the mo&t courageous and generous 
champions of the down-trodden slave, came to England, and 
eloquently defended the Baptist churches, amid the plaudits 
of a crowded meeting in Exeter Hall. But that was the last 
place to sift and settle such a question. Writes Mr. Jame- 
son : — " Mr. Knibb has been in London, denying in the most 
solemn manner that there is anything wrong in their leader- 
ship system, and denouncing as slanderers those who are of 
an opposite conviction." " To whatever extent our motives 
may be impugned, or our characters misrepresented, yet truth, 
gospel purity, and the best interests of Jamaica demand faith- 
fulness and sacrifice." " Holding these views, I deeply re- 
gret that the majority of the Baptist missionaries have uni- 
formly ascribed the testimony which has been borne to the 
existence of these evils, to the working of jealousy or envy." 
" The London Baptist Society has repudiated all evidence re- 
specting the corruptions of the leader system, and has ascribed 
the testimony — bearing to the worst passions of the soul." 

From the aspect which the present controversy has assumed 
at home and here, I object to the Baptist missionaries and 
their churches being made judges, A Board which sat in 
Edinburgh upon this question, recommend an investigation in 
this country. At such an investigation, I and my brethren 
will at once and gladly adduce the evidence which has led us 
to believe that serious abuses exist in the Baptist churches in 
this island." " With reference to Mr. Cowan, I am sure. 



THE COXTEOVEESY. 



201 



from my intimate knowledge of his character, that he has 
made no charge without having what he considers satisfactory 
evidence of its truth. I know that once and again he has 
brought the fact of particular abuses before individual Baptist 
ministers. And I may say for him, for myself, and for my 
brethren of the Presbytery, that the strenuous denial with 
vrhich the charge of these abuses has been uniformly met, 
both here and at home, the excision of Mr. Whitehorne and his 
brethren for protesting against the evils of the leader system, 
and the extraordinary statements of Mr. Knibb during his late 
visit to England, made us feel that to be silent any longer on 
this question, would be to sacrifice truth, and to shield errors 
the most pernicious to the purity of the gospel, and to the best 
interests of the mission cause in Jamaica and Africa." 

AVe must believe that these good men w^ere persuaded, by 
what they thought sufficient evidence, that these evils existed. 
They were not diaholoi — malicious accusers — seeking to destroy 
the Lord's work, by blasting the reputation of his servants. 
We cannot believe that they had any animus against their 
brethren. It was not Christianly kind to accuse them of envy- 
ing the popularity of these brethren, or of being irritated by 
disappointment, because the latter were followed by hundreds 
and thousands, while their own congregations were small. 
This explanation will, we are persuaded, satisfy no one who 
looks at the question in all its bearings, and has had sufficient 
data for a calm and deliberate judgment. With the convic-. 
tions held by Mr. Jameson and his brethren, silence would 
have been treason to the best of causes. Their representations 
ought not to have been scorned, their motives ought not to 
have been maligned, and their characters ought to have been 
respected. They were honest and pious men, and their alle- 
gations should have been honestly examined. Had it been 
proved that they were misinformed, they would have been 
ready to allow it. Bat they could not be tranquillized by 
"the triumph of Mr. Knibb at Exeter Hall," because that 
triumph did not meet the merits of the case. 

Some may blame me for awakening a dispute which had 



202 



MEMOm OF PvEY. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



better be allowed to sleep. But I dared not pass it over, with- 
out being unfaithful to my duty as Mr. Jameson's biographer. 
If I sin, it is in the good company of Mr. Hinton, who, in his Life 
of Mr. Knibb, has shown no particular tenderness to those with 
whom the subject of this Memoir acted. From the part which 
Mr. Jameson took in this matter his memory can receive nothing 
but lustre. It cost him vast labour, and led him often to his 
knees. That the controversy was necessary was not his fault. 
That he and others braced themselves to such a duty is all to 
their honour. But Mr. Jameson cherished not a shade of 
sinful bitterness towards the brethren with whom he differed. 
He fought sternly with the evil, but could take the brethren 
tenderly to his heart. And sure I am, that more good than 
harm has come of the controversy. Some of those who con- 
tended sharply here on earth, have embraced one another yonder 
in heaven ; and the rest will, in due time, join the loving 
circle, where all will wonder at the Lord's patience with their 
respective errors and infirmities, and at His condescending use 
of their unworthy services in the Church below. And I am 
equally sure that all evils will be, at length, rooted out of our 
mission churches, as the children of Ethiopia, guided onwards 
by light from heaven, cast off more and more the slough of 
old-time ignorance and superstition. Most heartily do we say 
amen to the following words in which Mr. Jameson reviews 
this controversy : — 

" I hope that this painful discussion will be of ultimate bene- 
fit to the Church and the mission field. One thing we learn 
from it is, that a native agency ought to be employed with caution, 
narrowly watched in its operation, and trained for its work ; 
that, at first, it may be used to superintend, but, ere it be em- 
ployed to teach, the agents themselves should be well instructed, 
and their minds freed from the trammels of their former super- 
stitions." 

With the views above expressed regarding the employment 
of a native agency, the following remarks are not at variance. 
He and his brethren were only anxious that the agents should 
be faithful men, and really able to instruct others. With re- 



SCOTCH PEESBYTERIAXS SLOW, 



203 



spect to Africa he asks : — Will not the Synod undertake a 
mission there, and use the tools they have prepared in 
Jamaica? Why prepare tools, and not use them, especially 
-when they are so much recj[uired ] Why begin a mission in 
the South Seas, where all is new, and take no advantage of an 
instrumentality which they have prepared or are preparing — 
an instrumentality so well suited to Africa — a field of missionary 
labour no less necessitous 1 Will no presbytery or congregation 
make a commencement in Calabar ] Surely some will be found 
to wipe off the reproach which is ever thrown upon us : ' You 
Scotch Presbyterians are slow in your movements, and always 
last in reaching the field.' I wish Goshen were at its man- 
hood, and had broken its fetters, — then would you see me in 
the midst of you to plead the cause of xAfrica, to entreat you to 
turn your efibrts to that melancholy land, and to make offer of 
my services as your missionary there. Some of my people wish 
to go, but I tell them that they must think well about it ; 
that it must be a matter, not of feeling, but of principle, not of 
excitement, but of calm deliberation and of earnest prayer. 
The hardships of the missionary life will soon cool down effer- 
vescent feeling ; and if there be no root in the agent, he will 
desert the cause, and yield himself to the vices of the surround- 
ing heathen." 

How true these views are every mission field can wit- 
ness. 

In 1844, J. H. Young, Esq., of Glasgow, visited Goshen, 
Anxious to promote the interests of the mission, he suggested 
that the people should offer to maintain their minister, pro- 
vided the debt of £60-5 on their church were paid for them. 
The people agreed to this ; and, at first, Mr. Jameson himself 
acquiesced in the proposal. But, on due consideration, he 
changed his mind. He found thiit the greatest simi which the 
congregation could contribute, would be utterly inadequate to 
meet their expenses, and supply the mission family with the 
necessaries of life. He concluded, therefore, that it was not 
his duty to peril his own comfort and usefulness, run before 
Providence^ and, like Peter, a-sJ: to be bidden walk on the water. 



204 



MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



At the same time, were his Master to call him, he should be 
dismayed at no difficulty, and shrink from no privation. 

The Directors thought with their Missionary. At the same 
time, several friends who had lent £105 to Goshen, generously 
offered to make it a gift, if the people should raise the sum of 
£300 during the year. An effort to do so was made, but it 
came short of complete success. 

There can be no doubt that Mr„ Jameson's views were sound. 
When men go out as the messengers of the churches, these 
churches are in honour bound to maintain them at their post. 
And they must feel under their feet, firm and sure, the rock of 
home support, while the breath ol home sympathy must come 
across their bosoms, to cheer and nerve them in doing the 
Lord's work among an alien people. If an African church 
were to invite a minister, and he were willing to cast himself 
upon their support, the case would be different. But the home 
church says : " Who will go for us, as our missionaries, to 
preach among the heathen the unsearchable riches of Jesus 
Christ '? " If one of its ministers or preachers says, " Here 
am I, send me," and he is sent, wafted on the breath of prayer, 
and cheered by the warm sympathy of Christian hearts, a bond 
is thus formed between that missionary and the whole body 
whose missionary he is, as sacred and as binding as exists be- 
tween any individual minister and his congregation. Mission- 
aries, when honoured to raise up infant churches, have to teach 
and train them to perform all Christian duties. Among other 
things, they must teach them to cast their gifts into the treasury. 
And the parent church must not be impatient to get quit of the 
obligation to furnish the missionary with the means of living. 
^vTeither must the missionary be cast entirely upon the support 
of any properly mission church. We cannot conceive the pos- 
sibility of a case where it would be proper to say to him that 
he must look for no more support from home, however short his 
people may come of giving him food and raiment. An apostle 
has before now suffered hardship from the neglect of duty on 
the part of Christians, and few modern missionaries have it in 
their power to weave or dig for their daily bread. 



THE CHUECH AXD ITS MISSIO^^AEIES. 



205 



"To J. H. YouxG, Esq., Glasgow. 

" mh August, 1844. 

" I must tender you my heartfelt thanks, and the deepest 
gratitude of my family also, for the great interest you take in 
our welfare and prosperity. And I am also requested to give 
you the best thanks of my Session and CoDgTegation for your 
expressions of kindness to them, and especially for the munifi- 
cent donation of £50 towards the funds of the church, for the 
present year, and the same amount for the year ensuing. I 
have seen much of God in the building of our church ; and in 
your coming here, and in our brief term of intercourse, I would 
remark not the least of God's mercies." 

Writing to his brother Alexander, oth September, 1844, he 
says : — 

" I am glad to hear that A — — has been so safely brought 
through the dangers which lately encompassed her ; and that 
you both have to sing a new song of deliverance. Once in my 
case it was mingled with judgment, when I laid my first-born 
— the very image of myself — in the grave, on the day of his 
birth. On another occasion, it was clear sunshine without a 
cloud. But last of all, my hope and joy was herself removed, 
and I was left to pour out the strains of the sorrow-stricken 
heart, alone. Yet surely I have reason to say, that vrhen brought 
low, the Lord helped me. 

We are moving on as usual. Mary and Robert Jarrit are 
busy with the school. I am there also when time and other 
engagements permit. Notwithstanding all our efforts among 
the young, both in church and school, while some are a comfort, 
there are others whose pride and perverseness threaten to dis- 
tress us much. The hallowing impressions which arose out of 
emancipation are becoming more and more blunted, the farther 
we recede from the day of freedom, and the generation which 
knew not slavery, being now from twelve to sixteen years of 
age, is, as a whole, wild in the extreme. The old people, hav- 
ing been schooled in slavery, are docile. The young, who were 
not long enough under its yoke to be broken in, are in general 
proud and self-willed. Drunkenness and revelling, which were 



206 IVIEMOIR or REV. WILLIAM JAIVIESON. 

common in slavery, and which, for a season, had disappeared, 
have revived with more violence than ever. At the midnight 
revel and dance, all sorts of evil are carried on. Some of our 
young people had gone to these scenes on the 1st of August last, 
and when called to the Session to be admonished, one of them 
very gravely told the elders that he would not be ruled by 
black men. I stood firm, and made the fellow sign a recanta- 
tion ; then the Session considered his case along with that of 
others, and found that they all had been at the dance; and they 
were separated from the church. Dancing is held at home to 
be a harmless amusement, and so, perhaps, to a certain extent, 
it is ; but it is not so here. It gathers the most filthy and 
disreputable characters ; and a professor of religion cannot be 
there without compromising his character, and associating in 
his amusements with the enemies of his Saviour." 

On October 2d, 1844, he thanks the Directors for their kind 
assurance of entire confidence in him. " Indeed, your long- 
continued kindness to us, and the many substantial proofs of 
your Christian beneficence which have come, year after year, to 
cheer us in our work, have prevented us from ever for a moment 
calling in question the confidence you repose in us. Allow me, 
my dear friends, to reciprocate the assurance, and to say, that 
to enjoy your entire confidence I have daily striven, and do 
daily strive ] and, although I seek not honour from men, yet 
it is my aim, and it will be my joy to be by you accounted 
faithful." 

The following facts, extracted from the same letter, bearing 
upon the pecuniary means of the emancipated peasantry, are 
important : — 

" It has been common to represent the negroes as being well 
paid and well off. This is true to a certain extent, but those 
who mingle most with them, who visit their dwellings, and are 
eye-witnesses of their sicknesses, their sores, and their hard- 
ships, know that they are not so well off as is said. For in- 
stance, when, in a case of distress, I advise a doctor to be 
called, the very common reply is, ' Minister, it is impossible ; 
we cannot pay his charges,' — which are from 16s. to 20s. 



PEEACHEES FOND OF HOME. 



207 



" The rate of wages is being considerably reduced. For in- 
stance, a piece of job-work which was done last year for £6, 
was done this year for £3. As freeholders have to pay taxes 
as well as school fees and medicines, it is manifest that they 
have enough to do. Their grounds supply them with yams 
and other vegetables, ^yithout these they could not live. The 
value of a provision ground as a means of support, however, 
depends upon its extent, and upon the having facilities for 
carrying the produce, as well as the proximity of a good 
market." 

Mr. Jameson neither advocated nor practised the "let alone" 
system. Xone of our J amaica missionaries flinch from what, at 
home, is thought to be best left in the hands of intelligent 
Christian laymen. But he had the good sense to see that to 
press the people to give more, while they were getting less, 
might cause an unhealthy reaction, and do more ill than good. 

On November 19th, 18^4, he addressed Dr. M'Ken'ow upon 
a subject on which he felt deeply, and wrote often, viz., the 
unwillingness of the preaching staff of the Church to engage in 
foreign service : — 

" Eey. and dear Sie, — I have read with much pleasure 
your address to the probationers on the subject of missions. I 
hope the Lord will make it effectual in moving many, not only 
to consider their duty, but also to do it. It is affecting to see 
so many men of talent, learning, and piety, lying at home with 
scarcely half work, and in an over-stocked field, while millions, 
daily sinking into hell, are crying, ' Come over and help us 
and while the Saviour, to whom the heathen are given as his 
inheritance, is asking his servants, ^Whom shall I send, and 
who will go for me V To such a question shall the servant 
reply, ' I have married a wife and cannot go,' or, ^ I am en- 
tangled with matrimonial promises and preparations, and cannot 
go,' or, ' I am afraid my constitution will not stand the climate, 
and therefore I cannot go '? ' Suppose such excuses were ten- 
dered to her Majesty's Government by any of her soldiers, under 
orders for a foreign station, how would they be treated 1 What 
would the answer be ? ^ Before you enlisted, was it not in 



208 



MEMOIE OF REV. Yv^ILLIAM JAMESON. 



your power to take up any other calling ? But since it has 
pleased you to offer your services to your Monarch, it now be- 
comes your sacred duty to comply with all the engagements of 
her high service. Two of these are the following : — 1st, That 
personal and domestic engagements, except in extreme cases, 
must give way to the public good; and, 2d, In Her Majesty's ser- 
vice there must be no cowards.' These two principles were 
also woven into the very constitution of the Christian Church 
by its own King and Head, at the time of its first formation, 
and cannot be violated without sin, and without damage to the 
public cause. This appears evident from Matthew x. 37-39. 
The Master, in sending forth hi& disciples to preach the gospel, 
says, ^ He that loveth father or mother more than me, is 
not worthy of me ; and he that loveth son or daughter more 
than me, is not worthy of me : and he that taketh not his 
cross, and foUoweth after me, is not worthy of me. He that 
findeth his life shall lose it ; and he that loseth his life for my 
sake shall find it.' Those who refuse compliance with the 
orders of our King on the ground of health, or of constitution, 
and in whose ears these things are constantly rung by friends 
who grudge them to the Lord's foreign work, w^ould do well seri- 
ously to consider also the preceding verses, from the 28th to 
the 34th. And then let them ask themselves whether, on a 
mere idea or supposition, they are at liberty to set aside an 
express command of their divine Master. It was thundered in 
my ears incessantly, that in going to Jamaica I was going to 
my grave. ' My constitution was not fitted for the climate. 
I would not live many months, etc' Now, what is the fact ? 
My advisers have all been mistaken ; and my blessed Master, 
whose public cause I was enabled to prefer to every private 
consideration, has blessed me in this distant land with the veiy 
best of health, for the period of eight years. Again, in Luke 
xiv. 26, 27, the same principle — that of subordinating private 
and domestic interests to the public good — is distinctly stated, 
as an essential element in the kingdom of Christ. Now, those 
who have devoted themselves to the service of Him whose com- 
mission is, ' Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to 



PREACHERS SHOULD BE DEVOTED. 



209 



every creature and who have encompassed themselves with 
entanglements of various kinds, so that, on the ground of these, 
they seek to be excused from going to any other field of service 
than that which suits their entangled circumstances, should 
consider this passage with its context, beginning at the 18th 
verse. In these rem^arks, I refer to those whose place in the 
vineyard Providence has not yet pointed out. Hence, I direct 
the attention of those who purpose devoting themselves to the 
service of Zion's King, to this same chapter, and especially from 
the 26 th to the 34th verse. Let them consider whether it be 
right for the man who offers himself to the work of Him whose 
field of operation is the world, so to encumber himself, while a 
student, that, when called to the service of his Lord, he will 
feel himself shut up to say : ' My Master must take my ser- 
vices at home, or want them altogether : because, for such and 
such reasons, I cannot go beyond the boundaries of my native 
country.' 

I hope that I shall not be considered presumptuous while I 
thus speak. I feel that I am exposing myself to this charge : 
but God is my witness, and to his bar I appeal. I speak of 
brethren in all respects far better than myself. Still they are 
brethren, and with myself, the servants of the Church's great 
and glorious Head. My lot is cast in the mission field, 
where I desire to spend and be spent. Around us, death has 
been doing its work, and one labourer after another has been 
removed ; and one infant missionary church after another has 
been suddenly reduced to destitution. Year after year has 
rolled past, and numerous appeals have been made on behalf 
of those desolate portions of God's heritage, but all has hitherto 
proved unavailing. Hopes have been excited, but they have 
as often been disappointed ; and now those infant churches, 
gathered out from a darkness even worse than that of heathen- 
ism, languish under the heart-sickness of hope long deferred. 
All this is taking place, while in the mother church the supply 
is considerably ahead of the demand ; and while not a few 
could be spared to the mission field, if the parties themselves 
were only disposed to follow the Saviour in the regeneration 

o 



210 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 

of a lost world. * Ye,' said the Saviour to liis disciples, * are 
the salt of the earth/ and this expressly with reference to that 
gospel which they were commissioned to carry to all nations. 
Now, if we, intrusted with interests so vast and important, 
shall make pur public commission bend to our personal con- 
venience, — shall hear the cry from the heathen as if we heard 
it not, — and shall prefer the easy, and comparatively indolent 
work of supplying vacancies, to the toils and perils of the 
mission field, then, let us examine ourselves, lest we be as the 
salt which has lost its savour, and is henceforth good for no- 
thing but to be cast out and trodden under feet of men." 

These are weighty considerations, and they are well put in 
these earnest and impressive sentences. It should be difficult 
for the unemployed preaching staff of our British churches to 
sit easy under reasoning and expostulation like the above. 
Would to God that we could lay them., written in characters 
of fire, before every probationer and every student, and fix his 
attention on them, till he were forced to take the matter into 
the court of conscience, and the presence of the Master, and 
have it well settled that it is his individual duty to stay at 
home here, waiting his chance of a vacancy in some little 
corner, surrounded by steeples, and echoing with the sound of 
the church-going bell, while yonder, waste on waste lies in 
the grim silence of death, and the name of Jesus is unheard ! 
Let it be known that a missionary must count upon having 
to endure hardness. He goes alone and unarmed, among self- 
ish and covetous barbarians, who may regard him as a lawful 
prey. If he is a father, he will have to leave his children in 
their tender years behind him, and the pang of this separation 
may be second only to their death or dishonour. He may be 
exposed to malaria, and frequent and consuming sickness. 
But none of these things must move him. It has been the 
duty of some of the Lord's people to face death for his sake, 
and it is the duty of some of them, at the present day, 
to make the sacrifices that are necessary in establishing his 
kingdom in every land. The true spirit of Christian missionary 
enterprise, however, is an inspiration from above ; and it is 



EETIEVr OF THE YEAE. 



211 



better to send a handfrJ vrlio have it, than a host who have ii 
not, or who, from their want of love, and prudence, and faith, 
may hinder, rather than help on the cause. 

Of date loth January, 1845, is the report of the stati'T.n 
for 1844, wiitten with his usual fluency, and showing the 
same entire consecration to the Masters work, and the same 
warm zeal for its progi'ess, in the growing holiness and num- 
bers of the church. All Jameson's reports breathe of 
piety and devotion : and ever, amidst the details common in 
such documents, he breaks forth into expressions of joy or 
gratitude, or earnest longings for success. 

" In reviewmg the past year, I hope I can say that the 
blessed work has been making progress. ... By means of 
domiciliary visits, some have been brought out. who were Hving 
without God and without hope in the world : while others 
who were walking in the abominations of the country, have 
been induced to marry, and to rank themselves among the 
foUowers of the Lamb. 

During the year, divine service has been regadarly enjoyed 
by the congregation. When supplying for Mr. Cowan at 
Carron Hall, on the first Sabbath of every month, my place 
was taken by ]Mr. William MiUar, who expounded a chapter 
of God's word, and read a sermon out of some approved book ; 
and I feel true pleasure in stating that these services were 
very acceptable to the people. In my visits among them, they 
have referred, once and again, to the words which he addressed 
to them. 

The district prayer-meetings, ten in number, and held two 
or three times a week, have been in constant operation. In 
certain c^uarters, I found that there was a meeting held on the 
Sabbath morning, before day, for special prayer, the reading of 
the Bible, and the re^dsing of the hymns, and questions, and 
passages of Scripture, which form the exercises of the pubhc 
class. These meetings break up at simrise, when all go home, 
and prepare for the house of God, to which they come at nine 
o'clock. I was much delighted, encouraged, and comforted, by 
the discovery of such meetings, yea, a thousand times more 



212 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



than if tliey had been begun at my suggestion. The fearers of 
the Lord spake, and they still speak, often one to another, and 
the Lord hearkens and hears, and of them he says : ' They 
shall be mine in the day when I make up my jewels.' Blessed 
day ! when long-parted friends shall meet again, and when the 
redeemed family shall meet with Him who bought them with 
His blood. The monthly prayer-meetings in the church have 
also been regularly kept up. At these, two persons, an elder 
and a member, usually officiate ; on which occasions, more than 
at any other time, I think I see the spiritual profiting of the 
people. It is delightful to hear with what appropriateness 
some of them use, at the throne of grace, the hymns and verses 
of the Bible which they learn, and to notice the unction, the 
earnestness, and point of their prayers. The Lord's Supper 
has been enjoyed among us, on the last Sabbath of every second 
month, the day on which dear friends in Eose Street were also 
sitting around the same festive board. The mutual mingling 
of our prayers and of all our religious exercises, and their 
ascending together to the throne of the everlasting Father, 
supply to the heart thoughts which tend to quicken, strengthen, 
and comfort. 

" During the past season, T have visited the congregation 
twice, and many parts more frequently. In the course of these 
visits I have enjoyed much delightful intercourse with the people, 
by which my soul has been refreshed, and theirs, I trust, edified 
and also refreshed. At the same time, I have met with persons 
of a very different description, and have had to look on scenes 
of a mingled character, some painful in the extreme, some 
revolting and disgusting, and others ludicrous. But through 
these visits, I hope, good has been, and is being done. Such 
is a brief summary of the year's operations. But it is time to 
bring before you the report of the school. 

" The number upon the list during the year has been 124; 
the average attendance from 70 to 100. I feel much pleasure 
in stating that the children have made satisfactory progress in 
the different branches of education. They appear happy at 
school ; and, some weeks ago, when I desired them to say 



KEY. MESSHS. HOGG AND MAIN. 



213 



when the Christmas holidays should begin, I was quite taken 
aback by their choosing just the week before Christmas. I asked 
them if they would not have it two weeks before Christmas. 
Forty or fifty little things cried out : ' No, we want to come 
to school' The older children, however, came forward and 
stated that they wished to work to get a little money before 
Christmas. Feeling that the vacation was as necessary for the 
teachers as for the scholars, I held to the point previously fixed 
upon, and dismissed the school for a term of four weeks, amidst, 
I believe, the regret of teachers as well as scholars, all parties 
being more disposed to remain than go. 

" Saturday last, brought the long-looked-for box to Goshen, 
containing the school-books, — Mr. Whyte's precious gift. The 
sight of his fine paper and pens induced me to sit down and 
re-write this report." 

On March 7th, 1845, Mr. Jameson expressed his pleasure at 
seeing an old friend, a Methven man, George Cunningham, Esq., 
who went to Jamaica in quest of health. " He was so much 
improved during the voyage, that, although he had to be carried 
on board ship, he has just completed an overland journey, under 
a tropical sun, without pain, and with no other discomfort than 
a little fatigue." 

In this letter he rejoices over the arrival of the Rev. Messrs. 
Hogg and Main, who have been spared to this day, and still 
labour in the most interesting circumstances. " It is cheering," 
he says, " to receive such a reinforcement. Manchester will 
once more be well supplied. I hope that God will carry on 
His work there, and increase the results yet more and more. 
May those who have come, be long spared in life, and health, 
and strength ! " 

On 17th March, 1845, writing to Dr. M'Kerrow, he details 
his eftbrts to meet the wants of the Mile-End district, and de- 
precates the forming of a too high estimate of the piety and 
general advancement of the people. His views on this latter 
point were most correct and judicious. " Action and reaction 
are equal, and in opposite directions." And the African mind 
having been repressed, controlled, and bent by slavery, has a 



214 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



tendency to recoil from the extreme of cringing subserviency, to 
that of unreasonable self-esteem and contempt of all right and 
due obedience to superior authority. 

Clifton is situated about two miles from Bonham Spring, 
and six or seven from Goshen. It is in the neighbourhood of 
a number of families belonging to Goshen church, who are 
prevented, by the distance, from attending divine ordinances re- 
gularly, and whose children, for the same reason, can derive 
no benefit whatever from the school. These families are the 
oldest Presbyterians in the quarter ; they were, at first, con- 
nected with Port Maria, and through them the station at 
Goshen was begun. They have once and again been dis- 
appointed, in not receiving that pastoral superintendence which 
they expected. Still they have continued stedfast to the cause, 
and take a deep interest in its prosperity. One or two of the 
young people were taught at Mr. Millar's academy ; and all 
availed themselves of the Sabbath instructions which were en- 
joyed during Mr. Millar's residence at Bonham Spring. On his 
removal to Montego Bay, I was unable fully to supply the dis- 
trict. In the meantime, Mr. Thomson came, and, not succeed- 
ing in obtaining Bonham Spring house for our purposes, I 
procured Clifton, which is equally central and healthy. 
Although we were first in the field, we have been the 
last in getting a settlement. In consequence of this, hundreds 
whom I have taught, now tell me when I meet them, that they 
have joined the Baptists, or Wesleyans, or Church of England. 
The design of our present operations is not to bring back those 
that have left us : for this I have no desire to do ; but to 
benefit those who have adhered to us through good report and 
bad report ; and to endeavour to bring in those who are still 
standing afar off. by seeking to do good to them and their 
children." 

Mr. Thomson's health failed ; but Mr. Jameson kept the 
Clifton school agoing during the season, until the lease of the 
premises expired. The Wesleyan Methodists, who have laboured 
in Jamaica with their characteristic energy, afterwards built a 
chapel in the district which Mr. Jameson thus earnestly sought 



CLIFTOX STATION. 



215 



to cultivate. There are verv few in that neighbourhood now 
connected with Goshen. But the labours of Mr. Jameson, and 
the man himself^ are fresh in the memories and hearts of aU 
there. And whenever the Goshen minister pays a visit to 
Mile-End, he is sure of a lively and interested audience. 

The following is an address to his people, on being absent on 
Sabbath, 20th April, at Clifton, where he went to intimate the 
cessation of Mr. Thomson's labours : — 

" In consequence of the illness of Mr. Thomson, and the 
necessity, on this account, of giving up, for a time, the station 
where he was employed, I deem it my duty to leave you, for 
the purpose of visiting the friends there, to lay before them the 
painful tidings. Our mutual friend, Mr. Millar, has kindly 
promised to be with you, to read and explain God's most blessed 
word. I hope you wiU listen with attention and interest ; and 
I pray God, in his infinite mercy, to bless the truth to the souls 
of you all. 'Hear, saith the Lord, and your souls shall live.' 
^ Say not of the Sabbath, It is a weariness ; but esteem it the 
holy of the Lord, and honourable : and honoiu' Him and His 
Sabbath, by not thinking your own thoughts, or speaking your 
own words, or doing your own actions.' In God's house, 
and out of it, let quietness and solemnity mark your whole 
conduct. 

'' In your prayers, remember that portion of our church family 
at Clifton, whose hearts will be filled with sorrow at the tidings 
vrhich I have to bear to them. Pray the Lord to restore to 
health his young servant who was labouring there, and to fit 
him for many days of usefulness. 

"What need you have to improve your Christian privileges, 
lest the forbearance of God come to an end, and He remove 
your candlestick out of its place ! Then you will lament and 
say, ' The harvest is past, and the summer is ended, and we 
are not saved.' 

Pray, also, the Lord to prepare you by his Holy Spirit, for 
drawing to his holy table next Sabbath. See that you are in 
love one with another. ^ He that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in 
God, and God in him.' Examine your own selves, and know 



216 MEMOIR or EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 

your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be 
reprobates. Purge out the old leaven — the leaven of malice and 
wickedness. Crucify the flesh with its affections and lusts ; 
and be ready to meet v/ith the Lord at his table, and to give 
yourselves who]ly to him. 

^' Let those who are not members of the Church of Christ — ■ 
Vv^ho have been sitting at ease, and allowing precious opportu- 
nities to pass away unimproved, consider what they will say to 
Christ, when he examines into their misimprovement of the 
means of salvation. Oh, thoughtless hearers of the gospel ! 
what will you say '? what can you say ? You must stand con- 
demned : speechless must you stand. Be wise, therefore, before- ♦ 
the day of mercy pass away for ever. Seek, at once, the sal- 
vation of your precious souls. Break off your sins which are 
so fatally entangling you. Turn to the Lord, and join your- 
selves to the company of his people." 

The following remarks, from the same address, are a specimen 
of the manner in which Jamaica missionaries deal with their 
people, in endeavouring to train them in the duty of giving to 
the Lord : — 

" On Thursday evening, there will be a meeting for prayer. 
I hope that many will attend to cry to the Lord for his presence 
at his table on Sabbath, and in behalf of the heathen world. 
Same evening, I will read over the names of those who have 
paid their subscriptions, and the amount paid by each. I hope 
none of you are putting off the payment to the end of the year. 
Come, at once. Why delay in the Lord's work '? You may be 
dead long before August ; and will you appear before your 
Judge for your crown, while you have slipped away, having 
neither fed the hungry, nor clothed the naked in his Church, nor 
done anything at all to aid the Church in her necessities '? Why 
should the Lord's professing people keep the Lord and his 
Church standing, month after month, outside their door, while 
they are serving themselves and the world first, and then come 
up, at the very last hour, when the long year is just expiring, 
with only the third, or the half, of their offering, and, with a 
sorrowful countenance, saying, ^ I have no more, and can get 



SEVEEE ILLXESS. 



217 



no more ' Good reason why ! You have taken the Lord's 
IDortion — the portion which He gave you for his Church — and 
you have mixed it up with your own worldly portion, and spent 
it all during the course of the year. He towards whom you 
act thus deceitfully, is God and not man, and to you He saith : 
' Be not deceived ; God is not mocked ; whatsoever a man 
soweth, that shall he also reap. He that soweth to the flesh, 
shall of the flesh reap corruption : he that soweth to the Spirit, 
shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.' " 

Writing to Mr. M'Gilchrist, 17th September, IS-lo, he 
announces his determination to send home his sister and 
daughter, as this step seemed necessary for the health and 
education of the latter. Alluding to a scheme for the follow- 
ing year (1846), he says : — " This measure would require my 
presence in the congregation ; and such indeed is the pressure 
of evil upon the church from the world without, — a pressure 
which, alas ! is causing many to fell, — that every missionary 
should be at his post, unless he has strong reasons for leaving 
it. While I thus write, I do not think that there is any cause 
for being alarmed at the present state of things. The church 
is just casting off her bad humours, and this will, in the end, 
promote her health and peace. ... I rejoice in the hearty 
response of the church to the call from Africa. I hope that 
this libel (against Dr. Brown) has brought to an end the 
painful discussions in the Synod ; and that past differences will 
now be lost in the union of love and zeal, in executing the 
great commission of our Lord, ' Go and teach all nations.' " 

In the latter part of this year, Mr. Jameson was prostrated 
by a severe illness, which kept him from his loved employ 
about three months. Who can doubt that it was to him a 
season of great spiritual improvement, and had a bearing on his 
call to Africa, and his removal to heaven about two years 
afterwards ? Severe discipline not unfrequently precedes a 
new demand on the zeal and faith of the Christian. Thus, 
the bonds that tie him to earth are weakened, and he is the 
readier to gird up his loins, and grasp the pilgrim's staff or the 
warrior's sword, as the work and the service may requii^e. 



218 



MEMOIE OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



The intelligence of an event which affected the people of 
God with sorrow and sympathy, reached Mr. Jameson in the 
latter part of this year. To Mr. M ^Gilchrist he had conceived 
a most devoted attachment, which was not less warmly reci- 
procated on the part of that honoured and devoted servant of 
the Lord. The men were formed to be brothers, from their 
geniality and congeniality of temper and character. The es- 
teemed pastor was in the van of the philanthropic and Christian 
movements of his most exemplary people. The stroke which 
deprived them of his ministrations, and plunged his family into 
mourning, was also felt in Jamaica, and the following letter, 
which Mr. Jameson wrote, 4th iSovember, to Mrs. M'Gilchrist, 
testifies of his warm affection for his " brother beloved :" — 

My very dear Sister, — The present packet has brought 
us a letter from our sister in Perth, detailing the circum- 
stances connected with the deeply distressing and mysterious 
affliction of your beloved husband, and of my beloved friend 
and father. A report of this sad calamity reached us, by the 
last packet, but it was of such a nature that, while it raised 
our fears to the highest pitch, it yet left us in ignorance of 
all the circumstances ; and we were waiting for the present 
packet with an anxiety, the intensity of which I am unable 
to describe. I often tried to pray for that dear friend, to- 
wards whom I cherish all the affection of a son, but I felt 
all uncertainty, and wished that I had wings like a dove, 
that I might fly far hence, and see, and know, and be at rest. 
Jeanie's letter, which we have just received, has brought be- 
fore us those sad scenes which have been passing in your 
happy family ; and, while it has delivered us, in some mea- 
sure, from the pain of uncertainty, it has overwhelmed us 
with the account it gives us of the state of our dear friend. 
I feel thankful to the God of all mercy, however, that his life 
is continued, and that there are symptoms of improvement. 
Would to God that his useful life may be spared for your 
sake, my dear sister, for the sake of the dear children, for the 
sake of the devoted people who are attached to his ministry, 
for our sakes in this distant corner of the vineyard, and for 



LKTTEE OF C03IF0ET. 



219 



the sake of the Lord's cause generally I Humanly speaking, 
his is a life which vre can ill spare. For myself, I feel as if 
I cannot want him at all, and hundreds feel as I do. 

My dear sister, I hasten to say how deeply we all 
sympathize with your dear husband, with you and your family, 
and with the congi'egation. I may say for every praying 
individual and family in Goshen church, that we cease not, 
day or night, to make mention of you all, and of your great 
affliction, in our prayers. TTe entreat the Lord of life to 
lengthen the days of his servant, and to restore to its vigour 
a life so useful. We entreat the God of all grace to hear you 
up under this heavy stroke, and to make all consolation to 
abound toward you. 

God will do what is right with our dear friend : and we 
may rest assured that this is just what is best fur him, best 
for you and the dear children, best for the congregation, and 
best for us all. True, we may not at present see this. These 
harrowing scenes fill the eye, and rend the heart. By them 
the eye of faith may be dimmed ; and the child of God, cower- 
ing under the pelting tempest, may feel as if all these things 
were against him. ^Mien the heavens are pouring out their 
floods, the lightning flashing through the sky, the thunder 
disturbing its peaceful bosom, and the tempest rending the 
lofty oaks, and stripping the forests of their leafy shade : the 
poor traveller, with a sinking heart, says to himself, ' AYhat 
good is there in all this T In a few days, the parched ground 
is covered with its green mantle, and all nature seems to put 
forth new strength. So, my dear friend, wait and see the 
salvation of God. A little time will show that all is well, 
that this dark cloud is full of mercy, and that it comes at the 
bidding of that God, who has encompassed your path hitherto 
with so many blessings. In the hands of God, our merciful 
High Priest, would I leave our dear afflicted friend, feeling 
assured that He wiU do all things well with him. And upon 
the same kind and gracious care I also cast you. I trust that 
every consolation may abound toward you, and that our God 
may supply aU your need. I also hope that the Blessed 



220 



MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



Shepherd will himself look after the flock, for the purpose of 
sanctifying to them this very trying dispensation, and of 
maintaining among them all the ordinances of the blessed 
gospel And I do fondly hope that our dear friend will soon 
be raised up to break again the bread of life." 

The Secession students attending the University of Edin- 
burgh had formed themselves into a Missionary Society. They 
were wont, at that time, to meet in the Session-house of Eose 
Street Church. In April, 1845, they wrote to Mr. Jameson 
a friendly letter ; and the following are a few passages from 
his reply :— 

Dec. 18th, 1845. — Your interesting and to me delightful 
letter of 5th April last, reached me about June, and refreshed 
and cheered me very much indeed. The spirit which it breathes, 
and the means which it shows to be in operation for awakening 
and increasing missionary zeal among you, who, if spared, will 
be the heralds of mercy in future years, cannot fail to excite 
devout gratitude and joy in every pious heart. 

My dear friends, I rejoice to aid in furthering your impor- 
tant design. Being the Lord's servant, I am the servant of 
his Church ; and I am only doing my duty in comiolying with 
your request. 

^' I know how real an interest is felt in our work here by 
dear friends in the distant land. And for that interest I desire 
to be ever grateful, and to do nothing unworthy of it. But all 
we can say about our labours is that we desire to be faithful. 
But, alas, how imperfect and feeble are our efforts, and how 
infinitely far short do we come in all our attempts to promote 
the Divine glory ' We are most unprofitable servants ; and if 
God makes us instruments of mercy to any, to Him — to Hirn 
alone— be all the praise and glory ! 

" In casting our eye over Jamaica, we see parish churches 
and missionary churches, and school-houses ; we see large con- 
gregations and well-filled schools. But let us not suppose that 
the land is Christian, because it bears the name. The apparatus 
which God has promised to bless has been set up, but it does 
not act like a steam-engine. Look at the corn-field over which 



^"EEDF^L AIOIOXITIOXS, 



221 



the sower plods his weary way. Watch his silent, but Laborious 
work. Look at the slow and peaceful growth of the seed. 
Xow, it lies in the bosom of the soil. Xow, its verdant leaf 
covers the naked clod. Xow, its growth is accelerated by the 
genial mildness of spring, and again, it is hindered, and even 
threatened with destruction, by the cold winds, the scorching 
sun, or the hea^w rains. At length, harvest comes, and barns 
are full. So will it be with the word of God in Jamaica, and 
every other where. Here, dear brethren, the seed is being sown : 
it is growing in many fields ; but harvest-day is still far off. 
And many, many, unfriendly blasts are sweeping over us. But 
those who have root in themselves, from being the subjects of 
the Holy Spirit's saving operation, are still standing, and will 
be the joy of the Eedeemer's soul, and our crown of rejoicing. 

" Jamaica claims the continued care of the parent church, 
not only for her own sake, but for the sake of Africa. For a 
while, our people may be encouraged to give themselves to the 
work of God there, under the care of the ministers with whom 
they are acquainted. Thus, you will have to fill our places, 
while we, from time to time, lead forth bands of Ethiopia's 
children to their fatherland. 

" One thing more would I say to you. Having enlisted in 
Christ's work, be soldiers indeed. The territory of our King is 
the wide, wide world. Say not, you will go here, or you will 
go there ; you will not go to this place or that, but to the 
other. Dear brethren, say not so. But as the eye of the 
servant is towards his master, yea, as the whole British army 
is at its Monarch's beck, ready without a murmur to go to the 
utmost boimds of her vast dominions, upon the shortest notice : 
yea, to penetrate into the heart of the enemy's country, to 
vindicate her honour, and establish her throne, so, as soldiers 
of the cross, say ye to your Master, ' Here are we ! Send us 
where thou hast most need of us.' Now, avoid those entangle- 
ments which, in after-life, and when the day of active service 
comes, will leave you no liberty, and which wiU make it ne- 
cesssary for the Church either to take your service at home, or 
not at all.*' 



222 



MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



The following are extracts from the last report which Mr. 
J ameson sent to Eose Street : — 

" The attendance upon divine ordinances is much the same 
as was stated in my last report. In good weather, it has been 
regular, and although numbers be not flocking into the house 
of the Lord, but the reverse, still those who are in it, are 
making progress in solid attainment. And I have reason to 
bless the God of all grace for the steadiness and faith of many. 
I am sorry, however, to report that the past season has wit- 
nessed a greater amount of backsliding than I ever remember 
to have taken place in the congregation, in the course of a 
year. 

What shall we say to these things 1 While the love of 
many is waxing cold, while those who had a fair profession, 
are turning back to the sins of the world, while the young 
are giving their hearts to know madness and folly, and while 
men of rank, education, and influence, are lowering themselves 
by becoming seducers, shall we suppose that these are all symp- 
toms of a dying cause 1 No, verily ! The opposite is the fact. 
The devil finds that his kingdom is menaced : and he cannot 
rest. The wickedness of the wicked cannot be any longer con- 
cealed amidst those dark clouds of ignorance which, in former 
years, enveloped this country, and, therefore, it lays itself out 
to secure, as far as possible, the countenance of the Church to 
its works of darkness, by enticing her children to follow polluted 
pleasures. 

But He who is for us, is greater than all who are against us ; 
and He will assuredly cause Zion's righteousness to go forth 
as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burneth. When 
we look at our churches, and see the many who are walking 
consistently with the truth, what reason have we to rejoice and 
bless God ! It is ours to sow the seed, and it is God's to bless 
the seed sown. The greater part of our old scholars are now 
away, busy at work, and have been so, during the last season ; 
thus furnishing a complete refutation of the charge brought 
against the missionaries, that their schools were making the 
young people lazy. It has turned out here as at home. The 



Y"EAELY EEVIZTV. 



223 



children come to the school, until thev are able to read and 
write a little. Then, vrhen farther advanced, they work part of 
their time, and attend school another part. And, at last, they 
retire altogether. Three young men are about to go to Montego 
Bay to the Academy. They have got on a considerable way with 
their learning, and they wish to be teachers. Through the 
kindness and liberality of our friend ^Ir. Gibb, I am enabled 
to further their desire. I fondly hope that these young lads 
will be blessed by God, and made a blessing. 

" I am very desirous of having my dweiiiug-house removed 
to the church, AVe should there be in the midst of om^ people, 
and could secure a meeting, at any time. Besides, I should 
avoid those night exposures, which I feel are telling upon me. 
You may ask why I did not see all these advantages before 
now. I saw them, but somehow the way of oljtaining them 
did not occur to my mind until lately. I built the chiu-ch 
larger considerably than the congregation requires, in expecta- 
tion that, by my visits and invitatiuns. the large population who 
were sitting at ease, might be induced to come in. But in this, 
to a certain extent, I have miscalculated. For, at the present 
time, the general population is drawing off from, rather than 
drawing near to, religion. And to those who are desirous of 
having a connexion with religion, and of enjoying its ordinances 
and its sacraments, with little trouble and pecuniary outlay, and 
with little or no sacrifice of worldly indulgence, our Erastian 
Establishment affords every facility. This feature of the pre- 
sent time will live out its day. It has come, and it will go. 
But it will take its time. And a season ^ill follow, in which 
the fruits of present toil and of present prayers will appear. 
Let us wait patiently for it, and by persevering labour do all, 
under God, to bring it about. Then we shall gather strength, 
and when the church requires that portion of the building 
which is now intended for the minister's residence, she will be 
able to erect a dwelling for the one which she takes away. 

I must now lay before you a view of our pecimiary contri- 
butions. But here, I am afraid, you will think that we come far 
belov/' the mark which you set for us. I have done what I 



224 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESOX. 



could do with propriety, in order to raise tlie sum to the 
highest possible mark. But I find, this year, that a pressure 
on one point is in danger of causing a relaxing in another. I 
have been well sustained by a number of the congregation, who 
are always willing. I have endeavoured, by private exhorta- 
tion, as well as from the pulpit, to stimulate those who are 
backward, and whilst, in some cases, I have been successful, 
yet in others, feelings have been awakened which have led 
some to absent themselves from the Lord's table, and others to 
keep away from the church. I am more and more satisfied 
that this pecuniary contribution is not a thing which we can 
drive. Unless the Lord open the heart, we cannot expect an 
open hand. There have been some encouraging instances of 
activity and faithfulness, especially among the old and the chil- 
dren. Some have a ground, the produce of which they devote 
to the church. Others have taken pieces of work, the profits 
of which they allot to the church. One little girl at school, 
nine years of age, sewed a shirt, for w^hich she received two 
shillings, which she gave as her subscription. Another little 
girl, about the same age, raised from her ground the same 
amount, and she also brought it, and put it into my hand. A few 
among our adult youth have been exemplary. But the greater 
number appear, at present, to be laying out the most of their 
earnings in dress and folly. I have frequently urged upon 
them and their parents the consequence of this, in a coming age, 
when the present generation of church members shall have 
passed away. One affecting instance of the debasing love of 
money I cannot refrain from narrating. It is of a woman, 
whose master generously returned to her, as he did to all his 
other slaves, the compensation-money which fell to himself. 
The individual referred to received as her share tw^o hundred 
dollars, or £40, and her children as much. During 1845, she 
has been paid £30 of the amount. Her subscription not 
appearing, I told her that she for one could not plead poverty. 
At last, out of the hundred and fifty dollars which she had just 
received, she gave one dollar. I thought of returning it, but 
wait to see what . efi'ect the word of God which I spoke, may 



KINDNESS OF THE PEOPLE. 



225 



have upon her. In a word, as we have not the intelligence 
nor the church machinery of home, we cannot expect that uni- 
form consistency among our members, nor those vigorous and 
well-sustained efforts, which mark the high attainments of the 
parent church. You cannot judge us by the figure of the four 
living creatures which are before the throne. You must take 
a lowlier figure, that of the parent bird teaching her newty- 
fledged young to fly. She sits upon the topmost branch, invit- 
ing and entreating, promising and reproving. Some are moved 
by her persuasion, and make a willing effort to reach the point 
where the mother sits, but when half-way, they plunge, they 
flutter, and come far short. Some are too timid to try ] while 
others, in a sulky mood, look as if they saw not, and listen as 
if they heard not. So is it here. Our best people are willing, 
although unable, to do what they desire. Others have the 
means, but want the heart. And, in such cases, we find that 
we can do no more than hold to their eyes the torch of truth, 
and looking upwards, cry aloud, — ' Come from the four winds, 

0 breath ! breathe on these slain, and they shall live.' " 

In giving the statistics, Mr. Jameson mentions that, up to 
the end of 1845, he had admitted 192 persons into the church; 
and that of these, thirty-six had died, or been excommunicated, 
while eleven were under suspension for carelessness and folly. 

With reference to myself, I am waiting to know the mind 
and will of God respecting the disposal of my future service. 
Although I expect not a voice from heaven, yet I feel assured 
that God will give such intimations of his pleasure as to put 
beyond a doubt the path in which I have to go. And if this 
be to leave Goshen, and to go to the dreary moral wastes of 
Africa, I am ready, as soon as I see another here, to bring my 
family home, and to make arrangements for departing thence. 

1 feel that some more of us must embark in this great and im- 
portant work, towards which the Secession Church has acted in 
a manner so godlike; and what is there to hinder me, more 
than another, if my Master call '? " 

It will interest the reader to hear from Miss Jameson of the 
affection which the people showed during the missionary's ill- 

p 



226 



MEMOm OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



ness. ^' 'NeveT can I forget tlieir affectionate care during' 
William's fever. They would not allow me to buy either 
chickens or yams, but, every day, they supplied us with both. 
When thanking them, many of them would say : ' No, my 
Missis, it is our duty to do so. When minister well, and vre 
sick, him visit we^ him bring physic, him comfort we from the 
good word. Him never give we up. ISTow, when him sick, 
we love to carry thing for him comfort. We pray God to bring 
him round. Mind minister good. Missis, and we will bring 
chicken and yam till it please Grod to make him better.' Their 
grief at hearing of Mr. M^Gilchrist's sore sickness was very 
great. Many of them came to Wiiliam, weeping, and saying : 
^ Oh, minister, we sorry very much to hear that we father over 
the water be sick. We heart bitter for him, and we pray God 
to spare him good life, and make him quite strong again.' " 



OEIGIX OF THE AFRICAN JII3SI0X. 



227 



CHAPTER IX. 

The Mission to Old Calabar — Mr. Jameson called to join it— Accepts the call- 
Appeals to the preachers — Finds a, substitute — Farewell to Goshen — At home- 
Ordination of Rev. John Campbell. 

We now come to the last and short period of Mr. Jameson's 
life, which was spent in thoughts about, and in preparation for, 
his work in Africa, which, alas ! proved so short. Would that 
it had been longer ! Would that he were even now in the field 
there ! But the Lord is on high. He hath the residue of the 
Spirit, and can make many such labourers to arise and go forth 
to his own help against the mighty. 

In marking out the future course of such a missionary as ]\Ir. 
Jameson, we should have pictured him grown to a good old 
age among the people whose spiritual father he had been ; lead- 
ing on his flock from one step of Christian progress to another ; 
with a new generation rising up around him, whom he had 
trained from infancy, looking on him with all the affection and 
reverence which such a character and such a ministry were 
fitted to inspire. But another lot was appointed him. A new 
call was addressed to him ; and, in spite of the attractions 
binding him to Goshen, believing that he heard his Master's 
voice saying, This is the way, walk thou in it, his ardent mind 
at once embraced the call ; and he started ofi* on what he 
hoped would be a long career of usefulness in deeply degraded 
Africa. 

The origin of the mission to Old Calabar, in the Bight of 
Biafra, has been noticed in the course of this Memoir. In the 
words of Dr. Somerville, "Just as the woman of Samaria, 
when she found Christ, and had her heart opened by the touch 



228 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESOX. 

of divine mercy, felt an instantaneous desire to bring her 
countrymen to the Saviour, so the feelings of the negro con- 
verts in Jamaica went out strongly to their fatherland ; and 
the crv became almost universal. We must send the gospel to 
Africa?' 

And this was a satisfactory evidence that the work of God 
among the freedmen of Jamaica was, so far, genuine. In 
answer to this desire on the part of the people, the missionaries 
of the Baptist denomination sent out a mission to the island of 
Fernando Po, and to Bimbia and Kameroons, on the opposite 
mainland. And we have seen that eight brethren, assembled in 
Presbytery at Goshen in July, 1841, borne along by the feelings 
of the people, and resolved to take measures to embody them 
in action, solemnly devoted themselves to God, each of them 
engaging, if the choice fell on him, to go forth as pioneer, or 
leader of the " forlorn hope " in any part of Africa to which 
the Spirit of the Lord should call them. 

We have seen that the nature of this movement was, at first, 
somewhat misunderstood at home, being considered as prema- 
ture, while the churches in Jamaica were still, to so great an 
extent, dependent on the bounty of the home churches, and 
while some of them had heavy building engagements on hand, 
or buildings encumbered with debt. It was thought to be 
both prudent and dutiful that they should strive to do more to 
maintain their own ministers, rather than divide their efforts by 
a bootless attempt to begin a mission in Africa — an undertaking 
beyond their infant strength. This misunderstanding, how- 
ever, was soon corrected. The Jamaica brethren explained that 
they and their people desired only to be agents and aiders of 
the home church, if the home church should undertake this 
new mission. They could furnish one or more brethren accus- 
tomed to missionary labour among Ethiopians, and inured to 
the tropics, as well as assistants of African descent j they could 
be regarded as a normal school for an African mission, which 
they and their people yearned to see in operation. 

The next step was to look out for a field of labour on the 
West Coast of Africa. The Rev. George Blyth went to Liver- 



WADDELL AND JAMESOX. 



231 



pool to make inquiry at persons employed in the African trade. 
And Providence led to the selection of the Efik or Old Calabar 
people, who occupy a territory on one of the most navigable 
rivers on the coast of Africa. The chiefs of the Efik people 
sent them an invitation to come ; the Synod sanctioned the 
adoption of the new enterprise ; and then the Jamaica brethren, 
proceeded to select fit agents. 

The Rev. Hope Masterton Waddell was unanimously chosen 
by his brethren as the person, who, in their estimation, was the 
best qualified to conduct the first band. Mr. Edgerly was 
appointed to accompany him, along with Andrew Chisholm, a 
carpenter, and Edward Miller- — the last two, natives of Jamaica. 
j\Ir. Waddell spent some time at home, visiting many places, 
explaining the nature, objects, and prospects of the enterprise. 
The Lord greatly prospered his labours and the labours of 
others. The utmost interest was felt by the people of God 
everywhere ; and the means necessary for the work were readily 
furnished by a willing people, devoted to the honour of their 
exalted King, and full of compassion for the desolate and friend- 
less children of Ham among the rivers of Ethiopia. 

Mr. Jameson, as one of the consecrated eight, had contem- 
plated the possibility of being called upon to redeem his pledge. 
In a letter to Mr. William Bryden, he vrrote : — " The question 

of Africa is exciting deep interest among us Perhaps 

I may be called upon to plough the rugged soil of Africa, 
and another may water the vineyard here. I desire to 
have no will of my own in the matter. Lord, show me tuliat 
Thou wilt, luhere Thou wilt, and ichen Thou wilt." But the 
call came sooner than he had anticipated : and he was required 
to arise and depart sooner than, in any case, he had resolved to 
move. 

The following sentences of a letter addressed to the Presi- 
dent and Directors of the Rose Street Missionary Society, 26th 
December, 1845, will be read with interest. Rev. Dr. Somer- 
ville writes : — ^' There is none who peruses it, breathing as it 
does such deep, fervent, and believing zeal, that will hesitate to 
acknowledge that Mr. Jameson is Just the man who is fitted to. 



232 



MEMOIR OF KEY. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



be a fellow-labourer in Africa, with our ardent and devoted 
Waddell." 

Mr. Waddell had written to Mr. Jameson (31st October, 
1845), asking him to make every effort to prepare a few more 
native agents, and to be ready to go at their head to Africa, in 
the following year. ^^This view of the subject," says Mr. 
Jameson, " had not as yet been before my mind. I felt as my 
brethren feel, a deep interest in the all-important work. I felt 
that the vows of God with reference to Africa, should I ever be 
needed there, were upon me ; and I thought it possible that, some 
time or other, I might be called upon by my Divine Master to 
arise and go thither. But anything like this immediate move- 
ment I was not contemplating. When Mr. Waddell's letter 
came, I saw that there was a speciality in it which I could not 
feel easy in passing over in silence. I then wrote to Mr. 
Blyth, and urged upon his attention the propriety of settling 
definitely, through the Committee, the next agent who should 
go to Africa, as much had to be clone between his appointment 
and his sailing. At the same time, I said that, in common 
with my brethren of the Presbytery, I was at the disposal of 
the African Committee, and I was willing to undertake the 
work, if I thought that my Divine Master, through them, called 
me to it. The reply to my communication is as follows : — ' As 
our eye has been upon you all along, you need not entertain 
any doubt of your services being accepted for Africa.' Once 
more, in my fleeting and ever-varying life, I am placed upon a 
point where every movem^ent involves great and important con- 
sequences, — a point where overwhelming views of my ow^n 
littleness — my utter nothingness — ever fill my mind, — w^here I 
discover work to be performed which fills me with trembling, 
and leads me in agony to cry out. Wherein lies my capacity for 
this ? — but a point from which also are discovered the rays of 
the Sun of Kighteousness thinning, and scattering, and melting 
from the face of the horizon those battlements of clouds, — and upon 
which is heard the gentle voice of mercy from the most excel- 
lent glory, saying, ' My grace is sufficient for thee ; go in this 
thy might.' Beloved friends, I am willing to go in the strength 



EXEMPLAEY DEVOTEDNESS. 



233 



of tlie Lord my God, and I am willing to remain here. I have 
no will but that of my Divine Master : for sure I am, that 
happiness, and comfort, and success in my work, depend on my 
being just where he wants me to be, and in doing just what 
he wants me to do. To serve God have I come into the wwld ; 
in this most blessed service would I spend my days ; and when 
I have done all that is appointed for me, I would depart and be 
with Christ, which is far better. It matters little where my 
grave — my last resting-place — may be, or by whose hands my 
lifeless body may be consigned to this dark and silent abode. 
All is in safe keeping for time and for eternity. On the resur- 
rection morning, all will be found well — nothing the worse for 
falling asleep far from the graves of my fathers, and for being 
bmied by a rude and barbarous people : for I know whom I 
have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to keep that 
which I have committed unto him against that day. 

" But it is essential that another minister be found to take 
my place in Goshen ; and it is exceedingly desirable to have 
him here before I go. We cannot weaken Jamaica for the sake 
of Africa ; and I cannot, with any comfort, leave my young, 
and inexperienced, and weeping flock, without seeing one in the 
midst of them to teach, to comfort, and to lead, when I resign 
my charge. Oh ! surely some heaven-bom spirit — some heart 
in which lives the liberality of Christ — will be found in the 
Secession Church, — and that soon : for there is not much time to 
lose. I cannot leave without seeing one in my place to feed, 
comfort, and care for this flock : for there is much weeping, and 
this letter to-day has been frequently interrupted with sorrowing 
hearts and tearful eyes. 

An old African was here a little ago. It was aff'ecting to 
see the old weather-beaten man wipe his streaming eyes, and 
to hear him say, with a look of agony, — 

^ Oh, my minister ! we cannot say to you, Do not go : for 
it is the Lord's w^ork. But what are we to do 1 You comfort 
us, and your going away will mash us (that is, it will knock us 
to pieces). Oh, my minister 1 Oh, my minister ! ' 

I brought him in, and seating him beside me, said : — 



234 



MEMOIR OF EE V. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



' Francis, I am sorry to see you so grieved. You know I 
am going on my Master's work, and he will take care of me.' 

" 'Oh, my minister, I don't fear for you at all; I am dis- 
tressed about myself. No fear of you, but what become 
of me ? ' 

" ' Francis, I don't like altogether to hear you talk that way. 
You talk as if my mouth had given you the comfort, and as if 
I had done for you everything. Now, think again. Whose 
word has given you comfort ? ' 

" Francis replied, ' The word of God.' 

^' ' Now, am I to take all that word with me ? ' 
' No, my minister.' 

" ' Well, again, who has brought this word to your heart, 
Francis V 

" ' The Holy Spirit.' 
' Now, does He leave you when I go 1 ' 

" VNo, no ! bless God I bless God ! He abide with me for 
ever,' 

'' ' Well, Francis, I am not going away (should I go) before 
another minister come ; then I will bring him round to see you, 
and show him all how I do with you when sick, and how I 
speak to you when I teach you ; and this minister will just say 
the same words that I speak. So you will have everything the 
same but the man, — the same God, the same Saviour, the 
same Spirit your teacher and sanctifier ; and the only difference 
will be' — the old man here took up the speech, and finished 
the sentence,— 

" ' A new mouth.' 

Writing to Mr. Blyth, 25th February, 1845, Mr. Jameson 
said :- — "I fully and entirely surrender myself to the African 
Committee, and hold myself in readiness to meet their views, 
whatever these may be. This I do in the full assurance that 
the Committee will use every means along with myself to have 
my place supplied in Goshen, so that the cause may not suffer 
there. The work in both places is God's, and I am sure that 
in obeying so urgent a demand for Africa as that sent from 
home, the cause of the blessed Saviour in Goshen will lose 



ANXIETY ABOL"T HIS FLOCK. 



235 



nothing, but, I trustj will, throiigh the Divine kindness, gain 
much in the end. . . . . Our worthy and respected Chair- 
man has hinted that I am running before Providence, and had 
better look out for Jonah's whale. I may be before the Com- 
mittee, but not ahead of Providence." 

In these circumstances, Mr. Jameson appealed to the 
preachers of the United Secession Church. He declared his 
willingness to obey the call now addressed to him, and told 
them that his chief anxiety respected the interests of the 
little Christian Society which had been brought into existence 
through his instrumentality. 

" To vacate this infant church, even for a short time, 
would seriously damage its interests ; and to serve Africa at 
such a cost would in the end prove highly disastrous to the 
cause which we all desire to serve. I am not at liberty to 
leave the sphere in which God has placed me, and where he 
has sustained me during the last nine years, without seeing 
another on the spot, into whose hands to resign my trust. 
Xeither do I feel at liberty to leave my people upon the pro- 
mise of occasional supply from the brethren. For I know 
that every brother has enough to do with his own church : 
and the inconveniences of travelling in this country are so 
many and so great, that the flock would have a very precarious 
subsistence indeed. 

" I therefore, dear brethren, make my appeal to you. By 
you will my views of duty be very much regulated. If one of 
you be led to respond to this ajDpeal ; if he will come out 
to Goshen, and say to me, ' Go forth into that dark land, and 
the Lord go with you ; and I will take your place at Goshen, 
and water the flock,' then shall I know that the Lord is 
sending me far hence, and then I shall hasten to obey his 
will. But if no response be made to this and other appeals, 
then surely I must conclude that the Lord has no work for 
me in Africa, but that He wills me to remain and tend the 
flock in Goshen. This important matter, dear brethren, I 
leave in your hands. Judge ye concerning it with impartial 
judgment. If the Lord is now saying, ' Who will go for us ] 



236 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



Whom shall I send V With reference to Africa, I desire to 
say, ' Behold, here am I, send me.' And with reference to 
Goshen, I trust that some one will be found willing to use the 
same language. Oh, if our Divine Master calls us to distant 
work, let us not count our lives so dear, our friends so dear, 
or our country so dear, as that, for their sakes, the interests 
of his glorious kingdom among the heathen shall be disre- 
garded. To one and all of us is the commission given : — 
' Go ye and teach all nations,' etc. From the relation in 
which the preacher of the gospel stands to this commission is 
he emphatically 'the light of the world, and the salt of the 
earth.' Oh, then, dear brethren, ?nay none of us be found 
putting under a bushel that radiant light with which our 
Divine Master has intrusted us, by refusing to face the diffi- 
culties and dangers connected with the spreading of its 
heavenly beams among the peoples dwelling in thick dark- 
ness, and in the region and shadow of death ; may none of 
us be as the salt which has lost its savour, by refusing to 
carry to the perishing heathen, or to the far-distant missionary 
church, the life-giving, heart-changing, moral-reforming, and 
soul-saving gospel ; and this for no better reason than that 
we love father and mother, houses and lands, or our own 
lives more than our Lord. As those who hold the commis- 
sion of our Lord, as those whose high and holy profession de- 
clares that we are separated for the express purpose of preach- 
ing the gospel, let each of us stand, looking up to the heavenly 
throne, and saying, ' Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ' 
And let us be ready to go wherever we are called, and to do 
whatever we are bidden. Pardon me, dear brethren, for pre- 
suming to speak thus to you. My only apology is, that I am 
speaking out (almost unconsciously) those truths with which I 
require, every hour, to check the unbelieving doubts and fears 
of my own heart, and with which I seek, through divine grace, 
to fortify my mind, in the prospect of more arduous duties 
and of greater dangers." 

To Mr. Jameson's letter of 26th December, the Society re- 
plied : — 



APPEAL TO THE PREACHERS. 



237 



" 20i^7^ February, 1846. — That while they are grateful to 
God for giving them such an agent as Mr. Jameson, while 
they continue to cherish towards him the warmest affection, 
and have unabated confidence in his i^rudence and zeal, and 
while they look forward with great anxiety towards a separa- 
tion between Mr. Jameson and his attached flock at Goshen, 
yet, believing that God is now calling him to go as a herald 
of mercy to Western Africa, they feel that they would be 
wanting in duty to God, to the Church generally, and to them- 
selves, were they to throw any obstacles in Mr. Jameson's 
way ; and, therefore, they not only do not oppose his going to 
Africa, bat bid him ' God-speed' in his new enterprise. They 
also specially desired to make arrangements for preserving 
Mr. Jameson's connexion with the Society." 

The Society were worthy of their missionary, and their mis- 
sionary was worthy of them. With reference to the above 
communication, ]\Ir. Jameson (April 3d, 1846) wrote: — 
" Beloved friends, I reciprocate your affection and esteem. The 
period of my union with you has been indeed the sunshine of 
my days, and with it are connected the most blissful associations. 
Clouds, it is true, have once and again obscured my sky ; and 
my heart has been nigh to breaking, but your kindness has 
comforted me. Many circumstances render the present move- 
ment a trial of no ordinary kind to my poor, faithless heart ; 
and the thought of being separated from you whom I love as 
my own soul, is one which fills me with the bitterness of 
anguish. The thought of leaving Goshen, with its important 
and interesting work, and its numerous endearments, and of 
leaving Rose Street, with all its prayers, and zeal, and sympathy, 
and friendship, in one day, almost overwhelms me. 

" My sister Mary's marriage will throw the school into my 
hands. T know the value of her assistance, now that I am de- 
prived of it. The progress which her young charge has made, 
shows that in her removal the school has sustained a heavy loss. 
She is not going far away, but will live in the midst of the 
people, over whom she has acquired a salutary influence." 

A minute of the Committee of Directors of the Rose Street 



23$ MEMOIK OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 

Society (April 18th, 1845), states that " Miss Mary Jameson 
had laboured devotedly in educating the young for two years, 
and that no remuneration had been solicited either by herself 
or by her friends ; and they express their approbation of labours 
so disinterested and abundant by presenting her with the sura 
of £50.'^ 

The receipt of the Kose Street communication, acquiescing 
in Mr. Jameson's mission to Africa, is thus described by Miss 
Jameson : — 

<^ Before opening the letter, he desired me to retire with him 
to his room, and shutting the door, laid the letter on the table. 
We kneeled down, and he poured out his soul before God, pray- 
ing that, "whatever might be the decision, we might be enabled 
to meet all, and not flinch from trying duty. He then opened 
the letter, and wept wdiile perusing it. After a long pause, he 
said, ' Well, well, Jane, 'tis all of the Lord, who knows the 
end from the beginning. He knows \vell that I desired not to 
leave this dear people, or to break up our pleasant home. Oh, 
no ! I would desire to live out my days among them, and to 
have my dust resting with theirs till that day." Being called 
to Africa, I referred the matter to my beloved friends in Rose 
Street, and besought the Lord to declare his will through them. 
He has now done it in a beautiful and thrilling manner, by the 
fine spirit which they display. Therefore let us be up and 
doing, and make haste to follow as the Lord leads.' " 

Mr. Jameson continued at his post, resolved to remain there 
till the Lord should break up his way. On the 26th of March, 
he was formally appointed to proceed to Africa, by the J amaica 
Missionary Board, who also proposed that Mr. Goldie, then at 
Negril, should take charge of G-oshen in the meantime. But 
this proposal was not adopted, as it was thought not to be 
advisable to break up Mr. Goldie's arrangements, since a mis- 
sionary for Goshen would soon arrive from home. It was now 
six weeks from the sailing of the last vessel of the season. 

The following spirit-stirring appeal was addressed to the 
friends of the African Mission in Lloyd Street Congregation, 
Manchester, the Rev. Dr. M'Kerrow's, 5th June, 1846 : — 



LUTTEE TO ILOYD STEEET CHUECH. 



239. 



• Among the many fields of missionary labour which present 
themselves to the eye of the Churchy that of Africa is likely to 
occupy a very prominent position for years and ages to come. 
What continent has been so much neglected as Africa ? What 
people has been so abused as the Isegm race 1 Truly, they have 
been servants, and servants of servants unto their brethren. 
While the curse has been most distinctly predicted, and most 
completely fulfilled, so the time to favour Ham's land is no less 
explicitly foretold, and who can doubt that the oracle will be 
as fully accomplished ? God foretells the one, as well as the 
other ; and whatever dangers and difficulties may lie between the 
commencement and the completion of the work, yet it must and 
it will be done. In Psalm Ixviii., God rebukes the idolatry of 
Egypt. He puts down the worship of those beasts whose 
dwelling is among the reeds of the Mle. He shames out of 
existence the adoration offered to the bull and to the calf. He 
brings to an end that system of warfare and plunder in which 
the Hamitic nations especially delight. And all that silver and 
gold which have hitherto been expended in idolatrous worship 
and brutal strife, He causes to be brought into his own 
treasury in Zion, as a token of the people's subjugation, and of 
their willing submission. Then it is that Egypt's princes shall 
do homage to Zion's King, and Ethiopia stretch out her hands 
to God. Then shall all the kingdoms of the earth sing praises 
unto Jehovah, who rideth upon the heavens, who hath sent out 
his voice, and hath performed such mighty works. This, dear 
friends, I take to be the meaning of this Psalm, from verse 30 
to the end. I feel most assured that the present movement 
towards Africa is of God, that the time is approaching when 
she who has so long ' lien among the pots, shall be as the wings 
of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold,' 
and that this will be brought about through the instrumentality 
of that powerful word which Jehovah himself hath given. I 
would beg leave to suggest for the study of those who have 
leisure and opportunity, whether there be not a plan of mis- 
sionary operation laid down in prophecy. In excavating mines, 
all is easy when the vein is found. So in the mines of heathen- 



240 



MEMOIE OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



ism, are there not lines laid down by the Spirit of God, by find- 
ing and following which the work may be done much more 
effectually ? Whatever may be in this, one thing appears 
evident, viz., that to Africa a prominence is given in Scrip- 
ture, perhaps second only to that of the Jews. Besides, the 
claim for help which Africa has on Christendom, exceeds in 
strength that of any other people on the face of the earth. 
That claim is in proportion to her wrongs. And shall we go 
to the utmost ends of the earth in search of heathen, to whom 
we may bring the light of Christianity, and leave Africa, so 
deeply wronged by Christendom, to weep her woes unpitied, 
and her children to perish* for ever ?- Let us act justly. Let us 
give the dark and degraded land of Ham, which so many 
nations have spoiled and peeled for ages, far more of our 
sympathy and care. Oh ! let us send thither, and continue 
there, the powerful word of Jehovah. Let us strive to multiply 
those who preach it ; and when death thins their ranks, let the 
blanks be filled up. If you cannot go yourselves, have you not 
sons who can take your place ? You have already given them 
to the Lord : and why should they not be given to this service 
as well as to any other ? Do you say that in this service there 
are too many privations and dangers 1 Christian friend, has it 
come to this with you, that for the sake of your son's ease and 
convenience, and your own humours, you will allow the work 
of your Saviour to stand 1 Others, you say, will go. But if it 
be right for you thus to reason respecting your child, it is right 
for every other parent, and thus none may go. How disastrous 
would this be ! How fatal to the cause of your Redeemer ! 
I would say to such a parent, Think again. If your child 
wish, and think it his duty, to carry the tidings of mercy to 
the heathen, hinder him not. Quench not the fiame which the 
Divine Spirit has kindled within him, lest that Spirit forsake 
you, and you be left to a joyless desertion. With reference to 
this work, the voice of our King from his throne is : ' Thy God 
hath commanded thy strength.' He thus demands from his 
Church all that may be available for this work, — ourselves, our 
children, our money, our prayers. Let our earnest prayer 



THE LAST FOETXIGHT. 



241 



be : ' Strengthen, 0 God, that -svhich thou hast wrought 
for us.' " 

At length, Mr. Jameson seemed to hear the voice behind him 
saying, " This is the way and a ray from above shone out, 
revealing it to his earnest gaze. Thus touchingly is the last 
fortnight at Goshen narrated by Miss Jameson. 

On Saturday, the 13th of June, 184:6, Mr. Jameson was in 
his study preparing for Sabbath. In the afternoon, he came 
and said to his sister : " Jane, within the last hour, strange 
thoughts fill my mind. I have not had more pleasure in pre- 
paring for the Sabbath since I came to Jamaica ; and every- 
thing was going well with me, when, in a moment, all my 
thoughts were scattered, and nothing could I think of but our 
immediate return to Scotland, to make arrangements for Old 
Calabar." He added : " 1 fear I have been trifling with my 
duty in waiting for one to take my place, while the Lord is 
calling me hence, and saying that he will provide another, in 
his own time and way. The whole matter breaks upon my 
mind. I have accepted the call to Africa, and am expected 
there about the end of the year. Could I get any proper per- 
son to take the charge of my beloved people in the meantime, 
we should yet go home with the ' Copse,' which sails on the 
10th of next month." His sister said : I have been thinking, 
this afternoon, that Mr. Gregory, catechist at Port Maria, vxuild 
do very well, if he would come." Mr. Jameson's countenance 
brightened, and he replied : "I see the Lord in this. He has 
been prompting us both, at the same moment. I came to sug- 
gest this to you, and you have named it to me. The first 
obstacle is abeady removed. The cloud which seemed to en- 
velop me when I left my room, begins to dispel." In the 
beginning of the week, he learned by a letter from Mr. Fyfe, 
that everything was being done to secure a successor. At 
the same time, he received a letter from ]\Ir. Somerville, the 
j\Iission Secretary, asking him to come to Scotland without delay. 
On Friday, he went after Mr. Gregory, and found him in the 
act of writing a letter, agreeing to go to another station. He 
told him to stop : for he was sent by God to bring him to 

Q 



242 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



Goshen, and to Goshen he must go immediately. Mr. Gregory 
gave his consent. On Monday, the 2 2d, a letter was received 
from Mr. Blyth, saying that he had secured a passage for the 
family in the " Copse," which was at Montego Bay, but adding, 
" The ^ Copse' does not sail on the 10th of July, as we expected, 
but on the 1st, which will hurry you very much. Captain 
Duncan has promised, therefore, to have his boat at Frankfort 
Wharf to convey your baggage and stores to Montego Bay, on 
Friday the 26 th, and yourselves must be there on the 1st or 
2d." Mr. Jameson was deeply moved, and, for a little, seemed 
lost to everything about him. At last, he said : "I fear the 
thing is impossible. That gives us only three days to get 
everything ready. My dear people know nothing of this ,haste." 
His sister told him to keep his mind easy : for that a good deal 
could be done in three days. The washerwomen, on being 
asked to bring in the clothes on Wednesday, replied, with deep 
emotion : " Oh, my Missis, never did we wash with such heavy 
hearts ; yet, if Massa in heaven give we sun to dry them clothes, 
you shall have them." Next day, the school children were dis- 
missed, at the close of the forenoon's work, that they might tell 
their parents to meet minister on the following morning, at nine 
o'clock, in the church, as he had something very particular to 
say to them. At the appointed hour, nearly all the members 
of the church were waiting minister's arrival. His heart was 
heavy, and, as he said when he returned, he thought the very 
mule felt the load, for it moved more slowly than usual. The 
people were eager to know what the matter was ; and, with 
the deepest emotion, he laid before them the w^hole case, ex- 
plained why he had changed his mind concerning the time of 
his leaving them, and read to them the letter from home urging 
his immediate return. They spoke little, but their bitter weep- 
ing was eloquent. Many said they would try to give him up 
to God's work. Others, that their hearts would break. But, 
with one accord, they offered to bring provisions for the passage 
home. Mr. Jameson thanked them, saying that he would be 
very glad to receive anything they could spare ; but that they 
must not impoverish themselves. He reminded them that there 



THE LAST SABBATH. 



243 



was only one day to provide, as everytliing liad to be at the 
wharf early on Friday morning. The meeting separated ; and 
each group went home in silence and sorrow. 

Mr. Jameson did not return till evening, but, long before 
that, many presents had come in, and ere sunset on Thursday, 
there was an abundant supply of the very best provisions, 
which the good, kind people could procure. On Friday, by 
three a.m., two wains came to carry the baggage and stores to 
the wharf ; and before the sun rose over the nearest green 
mountain, all was again quiet around the dear home. Nothing 
was heard save the whoops of the cattlemen on the way to the 
wharf. 

On Saturday morning, many people came, and bought up 
all the household articles, every one being anxious to possess 
some little thing that once belonged to minister. But, with a 
delicacy for which many deny them credit, they declined re- 
moving those things till minister should leave. On his saying 
to them, " Well, you must not quarrel about them ; every per- 
son must quietly take his own;" they replied, " Xo, minister ! 
we heart too sad to quarrel, at this time." 

All had left ; and Mr. Jameson was reclining on a couch, 
the tears coming unbidden to his eyes, when his daughter, going 
up, asked him, " What do papa ?" He replied, " Sorry I 
am to turn Aunt and Kitty out of house and home, but it is 
the Lord who calls me ; and I know He will supply all your 
need." 

Mr. Jameson looked forward to the Sabbath with great 
anxiety : for it was the Communion-day, and the last he would 
spend with his beloved flock. Long before day-break, he was 
dressed, and pacing his study, in meditation and prayer. On his 
sister entering, he said to her : " Jane, I am struggling to nerve 
my mind for the stern duties of to-day. The Lord has pro- 
mised : ' I will strengthen thee I feel somewhat girded, and 
able to go forward." The classes were held as usual from nine 
A.M. till eleven, when the church became crowded with people 
^ of all classes, among whom his own were conspicuous by their 
sad aspect, and their eager look on minister. After praise and 



244 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



prayer, he read Romans xii., and addressed them from Phil, 
i. 27. The discourse was most affectionate and faithful. Many- 
wept, and many trembled. An unusual number of whites was 
present. Them he addressed very solemnly, saying that he was 
glad to see them in the house of God, though some of them 
were doubtless pleased that he would trouble them no more. 
He then said: " My own countrymen^ you are dear to me. Very 
earnestly have I sought the salvation of your souls. Some of 
you know well how I have admonished, and besought you, yea, 
wept and prayed for you. Once more, I say. Take heed how 
ye hear. ' I take you to record that I am pure from the blood 
of all men.' Think not that you are done with me for ever. 
No. The judgment seat awaits us ; and if you are found on 
the left hand, I shall be able to testify that to you the gospel 
of salvation was fully preached." 

In the afternoon, the members partook of the Lord's 
Supper. At the close of the service, Mr. Jameson asked his 
own class, of nearly 100 old people, to stand up, and, then 
handed them over to Mr. Gregory. In the same way, the rest 
of the classes were given over to the care of other friends. 
Before leaving the pulpit, he bade the weeping flock farewell ; 
and, commending them anew to the infinite compassion of the 
Good Shepherd, and to the care of the friends who were to 
remain behind, he again bade them farewell ; and requested 
them to retire with composure. He said he would rather not 
see them outside, but would visit them in the early part of the 
week. It was a little time ere he could separate himself from 
the house which the Lord had honoured him to build for his 
worship ; and, on going out, he was pleased to find that the 
people had granted his last request ; for, wishful as all were to 
grasp his hand, none remained about the place. The ship's 
boat did not come for them so soon as was expected. And 
thus Mr. Jameson was able to visit every family, and give a 
parting word to all, commending them, and especially the young, 
to the Lord. Mother Winter (p. 69) tells that, at parting, 
neither she nor Father Jameson could utter a word. They 
grasped each other by the hand, and parted in silence. He 



THE PAETIXG. 



245 



had just paid his last visit, and reached home, on Friday the 
3d of July. The family was seated at table ; and minister was 
expressing his gratitude to God for having permitted him to do 
all that his heart had craved, and his desire that now the boat 
should come, for he could not again face his people, and take 
another farewell. Just then the servant entered saying. — 

Minister, two men come from the wharf to tell you that the 
boat is there." All was now hurry. Everything was got 
ready. But the sim was down, and they must wait till the 
following morning. About fifty of the people gathered to the 
Pen ; and they prayed together. They remained watching till 
three a.m., when the bell was rung. A cup of coffee was 
drunk ; and all assembled once more. Minister exhorted them 
to "pray and not to faint.'" Then opening his Bible, he read 
the 121st Psalm, and prayed. In half an hour, they had 
mounted their horses, sighed farewell to that dear home, and in 
silence were hastening to the wharf, nine miles distant. The 
boat was ready, and the seamen anxious to start, as wind and 
tide were favom^able. The hurried grasp I the embrace in 
which soul clasps soul I and those embark while these remain 
behind. Mr. Cowan accompanied them to Montego Bay, where 
the " Copse " lay waiting them, and, favoured with a steady 
breeze, they reached it at one o'clock in the morning. 

On the evening before thev left. Mr. Jameson wrote Mr. 
Fyfe :— 

"' The ' Copse's ' boat is at Frankfort, waiting to carry us off, 
to-morrow morning, to Montego Bay, AVe shall sail on Mon- 
day, the 6th ; and you may expect us about the beginning of 
September. I know you will pray for us, that the blessed God 
may keep us on the mighty ocean, and bring us to you in 
safety. Our poor people keenly feel our departure ; but, I 
trust, that, in answer to prayer, they will be sustained, com- 
forted, and blessed. Mr. Gregory is likely to prove useful and 
acceptable. 

" A Scottish emigrant from Aberdeen died, some years ago, 
leaving three children houseless and unprotected. One of the 
daughters and her brother fell into cruel hands. I entered 



246 



MEMOIE OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



into a prosecution, and rescued them from their worthless op- 
pressors. The boy has turned out very ill ; and one sister has 
fallen into the unclean ways of the country ; but the other, 
who has been in my family, as a servant, is a very steady, 
well-doing young woman. I could not think of leaving her 
behind, to certain ruin ; and have resolved to take her home to 
her uncle in Aberdeenshire." 

The separation of Mr. Jameson from his flock was painful 
in the extreme, and he declared that no consideration would 
induce him to submit again to such a series of mental suffering. 
He was attached to his flock by the ties of a very strong afi*ec- 
tion — the afi*ection of a tender spirit, and of a spiritual parent. 
And they regarded him as their best friend — their father — 
who had so faithfully spent and been spent among them. How 
could the loss be made up ] To a people who had never before 
known the friendship and kindness of such a man, the removal 
was peculiarly bitter. But the pious among them fully under- 
stood the motive which swayed him ; they felt the importance 
of the object in view ; and although, as one of them once said 
to the writer, they would never have given him up to a family 
church, — that is, any sister congregation in Jamaica, — ^yet they 
tried to give him up to Africa. 

The Kev. John Campbell, who succeeded Mr. Jameson, thus 
speaks of the feelings which he found among the people to- ' 
wards their first minister : — " My beloved predecessor has 
secured their confidence and affections ; he still lives, and will 
ever live in their hearts. I have been deeply moved in listen- 
ing to their lamentations, because of his departure, and in wit- 
nessing the tears of love and gratitude which the remembrance 
of his work and labour of love among them has caused them 
to shed. Truly, he has not lived and laboured in vain in this 
land. There is a people here whose prayers will bring down 
blessings on his own soul, and on the work of his hands amid 
the moral wastes of Africa." 

The following affecting incident may be mentioned here. 
There was a white man, a book-keeper, or under-manager of an 
estate, who was, like too many of his class, entangled in the 



SUDDEN DESTEUCTIOX. 



247 



vices of the country. Mr. Jameson frequently warned him of 
the peril to -which his sins exposed him, and entreated him to 
repent and live. The youth, often thus reproved, hardened 
his neck. One Sabbath, while the people were assembling in the 
house of prayer, this person was seen riding past intoxicated. 
LL\ Jameson again expostulated with him, and begged him to 
have pity on himself. The poor slave of the devil scorned his 
counsel. At last, minister solemnly told him that he expected 
soon to hear that the carrion vultures had eaten out his eyes. 
Just on that day fortnight, one came to tell minister that it had 
turned out as he had feared : for that the poor man had just 
been found dead, that he had fallen from his mule while 
drunk, and had not been discovered till the carrion crows had 
actually begun to devour the corpse, and had already eaten out 
the eyes. 

Mr. Jameson was distinguished for moral courage as a 
minister of Christ. But he was no less characterized by love. 
He never shot the arrows of bitter words — words dipped in 
the gall of an evil temper, — when he was sternly rebuking 
sin. His reproofs were winged by love to straying souls. 
And hence, although immoral men quailed under his uncom- 
promising faithfulness, they could not hate the man who was 
so manifestly godly and sincere. Men of all classes who still 
remember him, do honour to his memory. iSot often are the 
same qualities found in an individual servant of Christ, — the 
same conscientiousness, the same forgetfulness of self, the same 
self-devotion, the same faithfulness in duty, the same zeal, and 
the same love. 

The Rev. John Cowan went with Mr. Jameson to Montego 
Bay. The latter officiated, on the Sabbath, in the Presbyterian 
place of worship, and addressed a meeting on Monday. On 
Wednesday, 8th July, the Rev. Messrs. Denniston, Blyth, 
and Cowan accompanied them to the ship, and in a farewell 
service of prayer, the voyagers were commended to the care of 
our Father in heaven. The anchor was weighed, and the 
" Copse " sailed, having on board the party from Goshen, Mr. 
Robert Blyth, and Mr. Tomary, a Christian son of Abraham. 



248 



MEMOm OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



Mr. Jameson thus speaks of the voyage, in a letter to Mr. 
Blyth, August 29th, 1846: — "By the kindness of our 
heavenly Father, we arrived in Leith Koads, on Thursday the 
26th, at three a.m., after a passage of seven weeks. We 
have enjoyed a very comfortable time on board, being per- 
mitted to worship God every morning and evening. The cap- 
tain was very attentive and kind j and the crew were sober 
and quiet. On arriving at Leith, I found that friends had 
been looking for us daily. At noon, a number of Kose Street 
friends came on board, and gave us a very welcome reception. 
A ship will sail for Old Calabar in October, and it is not im- 
probable that I may go out then. I long to be at the work. 
God orders all ; and I am ready to start whenever the way is 
opened." 

So eager was Mr. Jameson to reach the sphere of his 
labour in Africa, that two months only elapsed ere his foot 
was again on ship-board. The interval was spent in visiting 
friends, settling his family affairs, and arranging for his de- 
parture. He took part in several missionary meetings ; and 
his addresses, which were the utterances of a feeling and de- 
voted spirit, never failed to carry the hearers along with him. 
These addresses were not written, but poured forth under the 
genial influences of sympathizing Christian assemblies, as the 
memories of the past came over him, or the hopes of the 
future were kindled in his bosom. He was frequently in 
great anxiety before he rose to speak, but his heart never failed 
to well out in such strains as melted all his hearers. 

The address, with which he made his first appearance among 
his Rose Street friends, remains among his papers, and from it 
we select the following review of a ministry of ten years : — 

" In rising to address you, after so many years of separa- 
tion, feelings of a varied kind agitate my bosom. I trust, 
however, that the chief of these is gratitude to God for all his 
mercies. These have been far more and far greater than I 
deserved. Dark clouds have sometimes encompassed my path, 
and once and again have they emptied their treasures of 
storm upon my head. But these were mixed with mercy, and 



EEVIEW OF TEN YEARS. 



24:9 



now I appear in the midst of you to sing of mercy, and with 
you to join in the anthem of praise : ' Bless the Lord, 0 my 
soul, and forget not all his benefits.' Next to the gratitude 
which I feel to God, is that, dear friends, which I owe to you. 
Your prayers, your generosity, your sympathy and forbearance, 
have made myself and the church at Goshen lasting debtors to 
you, the dispensers of the bounties of Zion's God to that 
infant flock. 

" But you ask, ' What good has arisen out of these ten 
years of prayer and of toil V We reply : Much ! ten thou- 
sand-fold more than we are able to tell you ; yea, incalculably 
more than we know. Who but God himself sees the utmost 
effect of the rain which waters the earth 1 So it is with the 
word of God which has been, for nearly ten years, preached at 
Goshen. It has spread there the knowledge of the Saviour ; 
and through it has Jehovah been exalted. At Goshen, many 
sinners have been converted through the gospel, which you 
sent to them, and maintained among them. Prayerless ones 
have become children of prayer j and they cease not to re- 
member you, their best earthly benefactors, at their heavenly 
Fathers throne. Some, also, who began their pilgrimage 
there, and finished their course, have arrived at the Canaan 
above. Ten years ago, in Goshen there was no church. Xow, 
there is a church of 200 members. Ten years ago, there was 
no house of prayer. Kow, there is a substantial building, which 
will hold 700 people. Ten years ago, none were found willing 
to give of their substance or labour to the service of the 
Saviour, and hence our temporary place of worship had to be 
put up, at first, at my own expense. But through the preaching 
of this gospel, prejudices vanished, hearts were touched, and 
made willing. Ten years ago, I was received at Goshen with 
suspicion. When I left them, they said, with tears, that they 
were losing a father and a friend, or, as an old man expressed 
himself, ' Minister, our back is broken.' By tlie disposal of an 
all-wise God, my labours at Goshen were both in the congrega- 
tion and in the school. Once and again, through your kind- 
ness, I was freed from the latter, but was ever again brought 



250 



MEMOIP. OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



back to it ; and I have found the congregation to thrive as 
much when I was teacher and minister, as when I was minister 
only. I endeavoured to make the school a means of diffusing 
the gospel. I enjoined the children to teach their parents, at 
home, the Bible lessons which they learned at school. And 
this has been, by the blessing of God, the means of moving the 
minds and hearts of many. In a word, dear brethren, there 
are many in Goshen who call you blessed. Your labour of love 
has gathered around the throne of grace a company of Ethiopia's 
ransomed children, who pray for you, and glorify God on your 
behalf. As for myself, I will magnify the Lord, who sent me, 
under your auspices, on that mission, — whose tender mercy has 
supported me so long in that distant field, — and whose sovereign 
grace has deigned to make me the instrument of bringing, were 
it but one soul, to Christ. But I have taken a long and last 
farewell of Goshen — that spot which, by innumerable associa- 
tions, is dear to my heart as the spot where I was born, and 
where were spent the happy years of my boyhood. My pre- 
sence among you this night, together with the scowling clouds, 
the thunders and lightnings, the winds and waves of the At- 
lantic, through all of which a gracious God has carried us, 
remind me that the anguish of heart we felt, and the floods of 
tears we shed, were not the tumultuous agitations of a dream, 
or the visions of a roving fancy, but a reality. My flock in 
Goshen ! Must I see you no more 1 Tomb of my amiable 
and beloved one ! Can I never more steal a look at thee ? 
Like a vision, ye have passed from my eyes ; and awaking as 
from a deep slumber, I find myself separated from you all by 
five thousand miles of ocean." 

The church in Rose Street chose Mr. John Campbell as Mr. 
Jameson's successor at Goshen ; and, at the request of the 
Edinburgh Presbytery, Mr. Jameson took part in his ordination, 
on the 29th September, 1846. The Rev. Andrew Somerville 
preached a very admirable sermon on " The call of the Holy 
Ghost to missionary service," from Acts xiii. 2. Mr. Jameson 
delivered affectionate and interesting addresses to the newly 
ordained missionary and to the congregation. That to the 



ADDUESS TO MR. CAMPBELL. 



251 



former described the field of labour, and the duties it would 
entail ; and thus concluded : — " I am transferring into your 
hands the labour of many years — the child of my most anxious 
thoughts and of my most earnest prayers. With many tears, 
and with a heavy heart, I have bidden Goshen farewell for 
ever. I have left behind me much, very much, that ever will 
be tenderly interesting and dear to my heart. There is the 
flock which I have been a humble instrument in gathering to 
the Saviour's fold. There are many wanderers from this fold, 
for whom I have wept, with whom I have remonstrated, and 
in behalf of whom I have prayed and do pray ; but they are 
wanderers still — deluded, unhappy wanderers. There are the 
graves of beloved dead, to whom I was bound by the ties of 
strongest aftection — to whom I preached the gospel of salvation, 
and whose souls, through this gospel, are now glorified, though 
their bodies sleep in the dust. All have I left, not out of a 
vain curiosity to visit new lands, or to behold new scenes ; nor, 
so far as 1 know my own heart, in obedience to any worldly 
influence ; but for the sake of the blessed Saviour, who bought 
me by his blood, called me by his grace, and who, I believe, is 
sending me in the way in which I am going. To that new 
sphere I betake myself the more joyfully, since I see you here 
ready to enter upon the one which I have left. Go on then, 
dear brother, and the Lord will be with you. Expect diffi- 
culties and trials ; but rest assured that you have your en- 
couragements, and that you will not want your joys also. 
You are sent out by a beloved people, to whose sympathy, to 
whose kindness, and to whose generous consideration, in every 
respect, during the last ten years, I am indebted to a far 
greater extent than I am able to describe. I know not how 
I can more fully express the sincere wish of my heart with re- 
gard to you, than in the utterance of a hope and a strong de- 
sire, that your intercourse with the ]\Iissionary Society in Kose 
Street may be as sweet, as improving, as hallowed, as mine 
has been. You go to a people who are longing for you, and 
who will hail, with great joy, your arrival among them. You 
go in the service of a great and gracious Master, who says, 



252 



MEMOIE OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



' Lo, I am with yoa always.' Go then, and fear not, and the 
God of grace go with you." 

The writer, who had the honour and privilege of being the 
third missionary of the Kose Street Church to Goshen, can 
fully subscribe to the sincere acknowledgment which Mr. 
Jameson made of the steady. Christian kindness of that most 
exemplary congregation : — I can truly testify how conside- 
rate, how faithful, how honourable, have been all your trans- 
actions as a Foreign Missionary Society, and this for the long 
period of almost ten years. Without wearying, without faint- 
ing, have you continued until now." This congregation under- 
took to maintain two foreign missionaries — Mr. Jameson in 
Old Calabar, and Mr. Campbell in Jamaica, — at the time 
when they had " to incur the expense of supporting an addi- 
tional pastor for the purposes of their own edification." Were 
this example of zealous and beneficent exertion followed by 
the w^hole Christian Church, as it is, we are happy to say, by 
some congregations, the dark places of the earth would soon 
see the salvation of God. 

Goshen Church is still under the fostering care of Eose 
Street Church. The Eev. William Gillies laboured there from 
1856 to 1859, with great earnestness, and was much beloved 
by the people, who mourned over his removal to Falmouth. 
The present minister is the Rev. John Welch, who was, for 
several years, the zealous and successful teacher at Carron 
Hall, and who, having studied under the Rev. Mr. Renton, 
was ordained at Goshen in 1861. Including school fees, the 
total contributions at the station, up to the end of 1860, 
amounted to £2850. From 1839, when the church was 
formed, up to the end of 1856, 255 persons were admitted 
for the first time, 50 of whom had come under church dis- 
cipline ; of these there were eight alive who had not been re- 
stored, the rest had either been restored or were dead. 



DEPAPvTUEE FOP AFRICA. 



2o3 



CHAPTEK X. 

Voyage to Old Calabar — AiTival — Fernando Po — Duke Town— Creek Town — 
Preaches througk interfireters— Opens school — Calabar marketing and house-keeping 
— Egbo Institution — Linguistic talents needed by a foreign missionary — Death of 
Eyamba — King Eyo Honesty — The Warree returns from Jamaica — Closing labours — 
Illness — Death. 

Having arranged tliat liis sister and dangiiter should reside 
in Pertli, under the ministry of the late Dr. Young, of whose 
church his brother, John Wilson Jameson, Esq., was an 
elder, j\Ir. Jameson preached in Rose Street Church, on Sab- 
bath, October 3d ; and, on the following Sabbath, he preached 
his last discourse in Scotland, in Dr. Robson's church, in Glas- 
gow. He then spent some time in Liverpool and Manchester. 
Having taken what proved to be a last farewell of his attached 
relatives, Mr. Jameson embarked on board the Magistrate," in 
which a free passage was generously granted him by the owners, 
Messrs. W. A. and C. Maxwell & Co. His kind host, Dr. Fergus- 
son, and other friends, accompanied him out of the Mersey. A 
farewell letter, addressed to the friends of the African Mission, 
by 3klr. Jameson, is to be found in the Missionary Record of the 
United Presbyterian Church, for December, 18-46. It is full 
of his characteristic spirit of devotion to the work, and contains 
a solemn exhortation to the Church, whose messenger he was, 
to persevere in labour and in prayer for the success of the en- 
terprise on which he went. 

Mr. Jameson sailed on Saturday, October 31st, 1846. He 
was thus only two months at home, and during that period 
had neither rest nor relaxation. His labours for ten years, 
and his late severe sickness, had necessarily weakened his con- 
stitution, and a period of cessation from exciting engagements 
was needed to restore its tone. 



254 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



From a journal of his voyage from Liverpool to Old Calabar, 
we make the following extracts : — 

" I shall not speak of partings — those tearings asunder from 
the embrace of friends most dear — those rendings of heart — those 
efforts which the whole man puts forth to suppress, or, at least, 
to restrain, the conflicts of nature which are incident to such 
scenes. May these be sanctified to me and mine. 0 may they 
lead our hearts nearer to God ; may they make us cleave to 
Him who will never leave, from whom no distance can divide, 
and who will be the everlasting portion of His people, after 
earth and all its joys and sorrows shall have passed away. 

" The wind became contrary ; and, on Sabbath, we made no 
progress out of the channel. Our abode, on that day, was not 
in thy peaceful sanctuary, 0 Zion ! We were not permitted to 
unite in the worship of thy hallowed courts. But the roaring 
wind, the raging wave, the rattling ropes, and the running 
to and fro of men on deck, took the place of thy melodies. I 
thought of the happy and profitable hours which I have spent 
in thy services. I called to mind the circumstances in which 
beloved friends on shore were placed, as they sat around the 
pools of divine ordinances, and drunk to the full of the water 
of life. When I think of these things, my heart becomes as 
water, and I say with the Psalmist : * My soul is poured out 
in me.' 

" On Saturday forenoon (7th November), the Captain thought 
that we had passed the Tuskar lighthouse, and were now get- 
ting clear of the land ; when, all at once, the unseen hand of a 
gracious Providence lifted up the thick mantle of mist, and 
showed us, at the distance of six miles, a bold headland of barren, 
lofty rocks, towards which the tide was rapidly carrying us, and 
on which it would soon have dashed us. The captain, who is 
a most experienced and careful seaman, now knew that we were 
not so far as he had thought. A sharp look-out was kept, and, 
about one o'clock on Sabbath morning, the light was seen, once 
and again, through the fog ; and, on sitting down to breakfast, 
in the morning, we were full thirty miles beyond it, speeding 
over the Atlantic with a fair wind. 



SABBATH AT SEA. 



255 



This being tlie second Sabbath on board, I proposed to the 
Captain that we should have divine service. He declined, say- 
ing that the weather was too cold, the wind required too much 
watching, and, at any moment, all hands might be called. In 
silence, therefore, did I endeavour to worship the God of salva- 
tion. I thought on the privileges of by-gone days, when in the 
' Christian,' on the way to Jamaica, I enjoyed the fellowship 
of a beloved partner ; and when in the ' Copse,' returning 
home, I was with those with whom I had sweet intercourse, 
even at the stormiest hours. I thought upon the Sabbath bell, 
and worshippers thronging to the house of God at its call, and 
said, ' 0 that I had wings like a dove, that I might fly far 
hence, and, once more, drink of the streams of the sanctuary, 
which flow so abundantly in the land of my fathers.' At 
length, it seemed folly to waste the precious hours in such un- 
profitable musings, and going to my cabin, I poured out my 
heart to my God — my home — my country— my friend — my 
all. I read the history of Elijah, and received much comfort 
and instruction from the remarks of Krummacher on the pro- 
phet's sojourn and exercise by the brook Cherith. 

I gave the sailors some religious tracts, and expressed the 
hope that we should have an opportunity of worshipping God 
together, when the weather improved. They read the tracts 
with apparent interest, and, during the day, the crew conducted 
themselves with the utmost decorum ; and many of them were 
engaged in reading their Bibles and other books. No work 
was done but what was necessary. 

" On Thursday evening (12th ISTovember), the ocean is lumi- 
nous. As the ship rushes through the waters, her track is 
lighted up. The rudder, which descends seventeen feet into the 
water, is illuminated to its lowest point, as it turns from side 
to side. A shoal of porpoises is sporting around the ship, and 
the water through which they pass is lighted up. Here, a 
huge one plays on the surface ; there, two are racing or chasing 
one another. They tumble, they dart forward with the velocity 
of an arrow, or like lightning, shoot down into the abyss below. 
Now they appear robed in light — the full shape of the mon- 



256 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



sters — and every movement of their tails and fins, is manifest. 
And now their huge size diminishes, and their swift move- 
ments cease, until all that is seen is a small point of light 
twinkling as if from the dark horizon of a distant world. Once 
more, this feeble and distant light begins to expand and move 
upwards. Your eye follows it as it ascends from the secret 
chambers of the deep, and, just as it begins to assume its shape, 
off it flies as on the wings of the wind, and you almost fancy 
that, having discovered you prying into the privacy of its home, 
it fled from your sight. 

" Wednesday, 16th December, — Saw a water-spout, yester- 
day, a few miles ahead of us. To-day, we saw two at a greater 
distance, hanging like dark conical funnels from the sky, and 
seeming to terminate in mid-air. We were too far ofl" to hear 
the noise which they produced, but distinctly saw their whirl- 
ing motion, and the effect which they produced upon the 
water. 

" Quantities of fish, as the dolphin and bonita, are frequently 
seen around the ship. Great shoals of flying-fish arise at her 
bow, and dart off" like partridges from the huntsman's dog. 
The other day, one dashed itself out of the water so high, that 
it struck against one of the sails and fell dead upon the deck. 
A young shark was speared, yesterday morning, by the captain. 
When hoisted on board, a sailor cut ofl" its tail, as the speediest 
mode of killing it. It was then skinned, and the skin was 
carefully preserved. In the stomach were found pieces of beef, 
egg-shells, and potatoes, which had been thrown overboard, a 
short time before. The heart, long after it was separated from 
the body of the animal, upon your touching it with your finger, 
raised itself from the spot where it lay, as if conscious of pain. 
After the creature had been apparently dead fully half an hour, 
beheaded, skinned, and gutted, one of the men cut the body 
into slices for the pot (for sailors eat the young shark), and 
every time the back-bone was cut through, the headless body 
writhed as if in pain, and each slice seemed full of life. So 
merciless, however, is the shark, when a man is within reach 
of its fatal jaws, that sailors look on its pain without pity. 



DUTY OF THE CHUPXH. 



257 



Some localities teem with tliese monsters, and tmly awful is the 
death of those persons who fall into the water, and are de- 
voured by them." 

Would that the following remarks were earnestly pondered, 
and heartily received by the true Israel of God. 

" I have been reading Winslow's book, Christ the Theme 
of the Missionari/. 0 that the principles stated in it were 
pondered and rooted deeply in the heart of every member, min- 
ister, and missionary of the Chmx-h I It is most evident that 
the work of missions is the work of the Church. "Who can 
doubt that the commission to ^ preach the gospel to every crea- 
ture ' is given to her ] And that to her, also, belongs the pro- 
mise : ' Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the 
world ? ' It is evident that the Church is the missionary society 
by whose agency the world is to be made subject to Christ. It 
is her duty to map out this vast field into its proper divisions, 
to keep this map on her table, and her eye on the map, and 
not to rest so long as one unoccupied point remains on it — 
one nation not blessed with the joyfid soimd — one bemg with- 
out God and without hope, because she has not put into his 
hand the offer of mercy through a crucified Saviour. 

"The Church ought also to be a missionary seminar}^ 
Christian mothers and fathers should train their children for 
the work of the Lord, and give them enlightened views of 
the Lord's pubhc cause, and of its claims upon them, bemg 
more anxious as to how they may best glorify God, than how 
they may attain rank and wealth. 

" Again, we see what should be the aim of those whom the 
Chmx-h sends to the heathen as her substitutes. It is to 
make disciples, to receive them into the Church by baptism, 
and to train them more perfectly in the way of God, so that 
the converts may daily grow in faith, love, and holy obedience 
to the Saviour. Hence the work of the missionary among the 
heathen is varied and extensive. It seeks to renew the 
heart and reform the conduct, to purify what is vile, and put 
right what is wrong in heathen society. 

" If the missionary keep this before his mind, and honestly 

R 



258 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



seek to accomplish it, he will have little time left to mind 
anything else. When the scientific traveller, or the merchant, 
visits a heathen shore, he is so engrossed with his peculiar pur- 
suit, that he has neither time nor heart for anything else. He 
has no time to seek the eternal welfare, or the moral improve- 
ment of heathens. Each man's own peculiar work requires his 
whole time and strength. No less exclusively ought the mis- 
sionary of the Cross to labour in his calling. And if he do 
so, time will not hang heavily on his hands. The day will 
be gone before it appears to be well begun ; and months and 
years will fly with astonishing rapidity. Instead of having idle 
hours for other pursuits, he will desire that more hours were 
added to the day, and more days to the year : for his work 
requires it all. In his work he will find variety, not sameness. 
In the work of preaching Christ among the heathen, he will find 
a continued source of interest, and delight, and refreshing." 

The sharpest of all trials to parents in foreign and heathen 
lands is the necessity of parting w^ith their children, to re- 
move them at once from a climate deleterious to the body, 
and from a social miasma which threatens ruin to mind and 
spirit. It is impossible to preserve children from contamina- 
tion, or to train them for honour and usefulness, in the wild 
wastes of heathenism. The mother may have to send her 
sick lamb to the kind bosom of some friend at home. And as it 
voyages under the care of some kind Christian friend, she, in 
the heathen land afar, dreams by night, and muses by day on 
the fragile one whom she has given out of her bosom, rather 
than forsake her husband and their common work. " Leave 
thy fatherless children, I will preserve them alive," is surely 
as much hers as if she stood a widow by the grave of a dead 
husband. Or the parents have brought home their little ones, 
and left them behind that they might descend again into the 
dark mine. When these lambs are sick, they will not be 
near to tend them. A thousand snares are in their path, but 
they will not be there to warn and to guide them past in 
safety. Other eyes will see their bright smiles, other ears 
wdll hear their infant prattle, other hearts engross their young 



THE CHILDEEN OF THE MISSION. 



259 



love. If there be any sacrifice in tlie lot of a missionary to 
the heathen, this is pre-eminently that sacrifice. Blessed be 
God ! that he so often eases this sacrifice to the parental 
heart, by opening a shelter for the lambs thus removed from 
the native shelter of the home roof ! All honour and thanks 
to those loving, wise, and careful friends who act the part of 
parents to the children of the mission ! Their loving care 
greatly relieves the anxious heart. And so do the gracious 
promises of our blessed God and Master, in whose cause such 
a trial has to be met. 

The following, written on December oth, 1846, is a specimen 
of ]Mr. Jameson's letters to his daughter : — 

" My dear Child, — It appears strange when I think that 
I am now so far away from you, — that thousands of miles of 
ocean now separate us. As I sit in my berth, and am being 
carried farther and, every hour, farther away from you, my 
thoughts, my child, are much upon you, and my prayers to 
God are often ascending on your behalf I cannot but say, that 
I miss your company, as well as the aff'ectionate, tender care of 
your dear aunt. But it is the work of the Blessed Saviour, 
that has called to this separation. And as fathers leave their 
families, to go to foreign lands in search of riches, and of the 
fading glory of this passing world, it would never have done for 
me, a servant of the Lord Jesus, to set aside a call to Africa, 
so evident as the one which I possessed, because of my interest 
in you. Lly first duty is to serve the Lord, in the gospel of 
his Son ; and while I am attending to this, you will be blessed. 
But should I neglect this for your sake, neither of us would do 
well. Now then, my child, we are separated for a season, but 
I trust that a few years will bring us together again, that I 
may spend the remainder of my days with you. This, if the 
Lord will : for His will, which in aU things is holy and right, 
be done ! Let us, my child, be prepared for whatever it may 
be. I trust, however, that should the desire, which I have 
ventured, in dependence upon the Divine will, to express, ever 
be gratified, I shall find you, my beloved daughter, the child of 
a beloved mother — rapidly growing in wisdom, in knowledge, 



260 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



and in the fear of the Lord. I would have esteemed it a privi- 
lege and a happiness, to be by your side, and to watch over the 
opening and the maturing of your mind, as well as to be instru- 
mental in regulating that heart, which God himself has said is 
deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. But God 
has appointed otherwise. He has, however, blessed you with 
the superintendence of a beloved aunt, who came many thou- 
sands of miles to your aid when you were a helpless babe, and 
who^ from the days of your infancy, has watched over you with 
a mother's care. 

" When God took your mother from you, he sent you a mother 
in Aunt Jane. I trust, therefore, that your heart will ever 
cleave to her, that you will avoid every thing which may cause 
her grief, and that you will attend to every thing which may 
contribute to her comfort and happiness. You will find that 
the religion of Jesus is the same in Perth as in Goshen. God, 
and his Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, will be worshipped in 
the family, every morning and evening ; and on no account be 
absent on these occasions. An example of spiritual-mindedness 
— of what is pure, and lovely, and of good report — will be set 
before you by your grand-aunts. Imitate their example, and 
learn wisdom from their matured experience. It is a good 
thing, my child, to dwell among the godly, where, in company 
with them, you are daily led to the throne, and where you 
neither see nor hear that worldly-mindedness which is the death 
of the soul. Take care, therefore, what companions you choose. 
Seek not the friendship of those children, whose parents may be 
great and wealthy, but whose words and ways may alienate your 
heart from what you see at home. But seek the friendship of 
the good, who regard heaven as their home. Be sure that you 
forget not your Bible and your prayers ; and while you pray, 
remember your father, whom the Lord's work has called far 
away. Attend Dr. Young's classes for religious instruction, and 
wait upon the Lord in his ordinances on the Sabbath. And, 
my child, by the religious privileges which you so richly enjoy 
in Perth, strive to profit, so that if spared to see you again, I 
may find you both wise and good. 



LETTER TO HIS DAUGHTER. 



i "We had a good day's fishing, the other day. The Captain 
I and the sailors threw out their lines as soon as they saw some 
fishes swimming by the side of the ship, and, in a short time, 
' there were six large ones, called dolphins, hauled on board. The 
j cook fried them, and we all ate of them, and they were very- 
good indeed. How good is God, to send us these fishes, to be 
a little fresh food for us in the middle of the great ocean ! 
1 You want to know where I am at present, when I am writing 
j to you. Take the map of Africa, and on the western side of 
the continent look for Cape de Verde Islands ; then look down 
the edge of the map for the number 1 0, and between that and 
' 9 th latitude, you will see where I am. It is very hot. I am 
1 sitting with my jacket off", perspiring much. But I am well, 
1 very well indeed, for which I would be thankful. 
I Grand Sestros. — My dear Ci^ therine, — Again take the 

map of Africa, and carry your finger down the side of it, until you 
come to 5°; then carry your finger across the Atlantic Ocean to 
the continent, and you will find Grand Sestros on the coast. You 
see me there, then. Well, a hundred or more of naked men have 
just leaped on board from their canoes. But I think I hear 
|; you say, ' Aunty, what is a canoe ? ' A canoe, then, is a boat 
scooped out of the cotton-tree. But what means scoop 1 Turn 
up your dictionary, and you will find the meaning of the word 
1 . there. Well, these people have no clothes on them. They 
swim in the water like ducks, and when they come on board 
the ship, they talk, and they laugh, and they roar, just like the 
negroes in a Jamaica market. The Captain was obliged to take 
a whip, and lay on all around him to keep them in order. 
I There are eighteen of these naked men in the ship with us, 
• going to Calabar, to help the sailors from Liverpool to fill the 
ship with palm oil. 

" I must now bid you adieu. Give my love to your little 
cousins in John Street, to grandmother in Airdrie, to Uncle 
John, and to every body. I commit you, my child, to the 
Lord ; and I cease not to pray to God on your behalf, that 
in all things you may grow up unto him, and be found in 
him." 



262 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



On the 16th January, 1847, the "Magistrate" cast anchor 
near the bar of the Old Calabar river, and sent a boat up to 
Duke Town, from forty to fifty miles, to procure the native 
pilot, as is customary on the arrival of a vessel. The mate, 
who had gone for the pilot, brought word to Mr. Jameson that 
Mr. Waddell had sailed in the " Warree" for Jamaica, and that 
Mr. and Mrs. Edgerly, with the other agents of the mission, 
were at Fernando Po, where they had gone during the time of 
the smokes at Old Calabar. He was taken somewhat aback 
by the intelligence of Mr. Waddell' s voyage, and must have felt 
his absence very much. But he knew that this was for the 
benefit of the mission, and was a new call upon his faith in God. 
Captain Garnett, who had been sent out by Mr. Jamieson of 
Liverpool, to take home his steamer, the " Ethiope," arrived 
from Fernando Po in a long-boat, while the " Magistrate was 
proceeding up the river. He went on board, and having learned 
who Mr. Jameson was, kindly offered to carry him to Fernando 
Po, as he was to return thither in two days. On reaching Duke 
Town, Mr. Jameson was introduced to Eyamba, and thanked 
him for his attention to the agents of the mission. On the same 
day, he visited King Eyo, at Creek Town, and inspected the 
mission houses at both places ; and this, his first landing on 
African soil, and introduction to African society, took place on 
Thursday, the 21st January, 1847, the tenth anniversary of 
his landing in Jamaica, with his partner, to commence his mis- 
sionary career. 

Putting his things under the care of King Eyamba, Mr. 
Jameson left Duke Town on Saturday the 23 d, and on Monday, 
at eight p.m., reached Fernando Po, having received many kind 
attentions from Captain Garnett. He there found Mr. and 
Mrs. Edgerly well ; and the meeting was the occasion of joy to 
all. One of the native assistants, Edward Miller, had died some 
weeks before, " full of faith and hope. During his brief 
sojourn at Clarence, he appears to have gained the esteem of all 
who knew him ; and his unexpected removal is spoken of by all 
in terms of regret. Thus is the memory of the righteous blessed. 
Humility of mind, and gentleness of deportment, never fail to 



MISSION EETUEXS FEOM FERNAXDO PC. 



263 



secure friends, and to rear for tlie lowly in heart a lasting 
memorial." The Baptist brethren received Mr. J. with much cor- 
diality. He writes : " There is evideutly a work of grace going 
on here through their instrumentality. Last night, we had a 
prayer-meeting, and I was much delighted with the supplica- 
tions offered up by some of the natives." On the Sabbath, 
Mr. Jameson preached at the house of Mr. Lynslager, a native 
of Holland, who has long been a merchant at Clarence, and, for 
a time, was Governor of Fernando Po. This gentleman, who 
has in various ways aided and favoured missionaries, " expressed 
his thanks for our labours, and his regret at our going away." 
In the afternoon of the same day, Mr. Jameson preached in the 
Baptist chapel, and afterwards united in observing the Lord's 
Supper with the church assembling there. The Rev. Mr. Clark, 
one of the Baptist brethren, offered the use of their vessel, the 
" Dove," to carry the members of the mission and their luggage 
to Old Calabar, on her return from Bimbia ; but, in the mean- 
time, the " Mary" of Liverpool arrived at Fernando Po, on her 
way to Old Calabar; and they gladly availed themselves of the 
kind offer of Captain Foreshaw to take them with him at once. 
They accordingly sailed on Wednesday the 3d, and arrived at 
Duke Town on Friday. Governor Becroft went with them, as 
he took a very deep interest in the enterprise. " He is a veteran 
in the service of Western Africa, and is a man of great expe- 
rience, and prudence, and influence among all classes." ^ 

Mr. Jameson thus describes one of the trials of the situa- 
tion, incident on the removal of their things from the beach 
to the mission-house at the hill top. It was towards the 
evening of Friday, the 5th of February, when, the anchor 
of the Mary " being cast, " Captain Foreshaw sent our lug- 

1 Captain Becroft, who was British Consul, and also Governor of Fernando Po, 
at the time when the mission was hegnn, was respected and trusted by both the 
whites and.the natives in the Bight of Biafra. He was a man of principle, straight- 
forward and impartial, and anxious to advance every scheme that promised to 
benefit Africa. He well understood the character and the customs of the negroes ; 
and in settling palavers between them and the traders, he dealt out justice with a 
clean and even hand. The consequence was, that all honoured Mm while he lived, 
and lamented him when he died. 



264 



MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON?". 



gage ashore in the pinnace. By this time, it was almost dark. 
Mr. and Mrs. Edgerly went to King Eyamba's to get the key 
of the house ; and on procuring it, Mrs. Edgerly hastened to 
the house to get a candle lighted. Mr. Edgerly set off to get 
men to carry up the things, while I remained on the beach to 
see them landed, and to take care of them. In about twenty 
minutes, a number of people arrived, and having got the 
various articles placed either on their heads or on their 
shoulders, all set off with what they could carry, Mr. Edgerly 
and two servants accompanying the band, some sixteen or seven- 
teen in number, lest, on the way, any should bolt with his bur- 
den, or hide some of it for his own use. A lantern was now 
also brought, and a watch was set at the different corners of the 
road, to prevent, if possible, any pilfering. Notwithstanding 
of this vigilance, Mr. Edgerly all but lost a box containing 
money. He got a glimpse, in the dark, of the fellow making 
off with it, pursued him, and rescued the box. All the things 
being removed from the beach, I took my place as a guard, 
and, in a short time, everything was safely deposited on the 
floor of the mission-house ; and I felt, for the first time for 
many months, that I was once more in a home. Mrs. Edgerly 
had succeeded in making the empty house wear an air of com- 
fort. We got tea, and after having praised the Lord for his 
kindness, and committed ourselves and beloved friends at home 
to his care, we sought repose for the night. 

Saturday the 6th dawned upon us, and we stirred betimes, 
to get the remainder of the things landed. Two or three 
dozen carriers were procured. But the barrels, boxes, and 
packages were so heavy, that the poor creatures lost heart and 
ran off. And no wonder ! I was almost disposed to do so too, 
when I saw them writhing, and sweating, and quivering under 
the ponderous loads. What with the intense heat of the 
* sun, the gabble of the naked slaves, — some grumbling, some 
falling on the steep ascent from the beach, while the bundle 
rolled back, and others tickled to the highest pitch at the 
scene, — and what with anxiety about the safety of the goods, 
I would gladly have fled from the sight of what pained me. 



DIFFICrLTIES IX FLITTIXG. 265 

But the tilings had to be earned up : they must work, and I 
must bear. All this arose from the necessity of carrying 
everything away for safety, when the family removed to 
Fernando Po. 

" In the evening, I wrote a note to each of the ship masters, 
inviting them to attend divine service on the following day at 
the mission-house. With Governor Becroft and Mr. Edgerly 
I called on King Eyamba, to request the liberty of meetmg in 
his house on the Sabbath, with such as might come. But he 
said it would not be convenient, as he would be busy. He, 
however, consented to have a meeting on the following Sab- 
bath. Governor Becroft kindly remarked to me, on the 
way home, that patience is required. ' Your work will not 
drive ; it must be done by little and little. Manage prudently ; 
and, by and bye, Eyamba may have no difficulty in allowing 
you to do as you please. But what he says must be attended 
to. Your chief efforts, however, should be du^ected to the young.' 

On the forenoon of Sabbath, about six or seven of our 
countrymen came to worship, including Governor Becroft and 
Captain Crompton. I preached from the text, ' How shall 
we escape if we neglect so great salvation ]' On this my 
first Sabbath in Calabar, I felt that truly I was in a heathen 
land, and far from the Sabbath-keeping of my native country and 
of Goshen. 

On Saturday, I had told Eyamba that there was a stench 
about the mission premises, which threatened to sicken us all 
and that I supposed it proceeded from a corpse lying in the 
neighbourhood. The King said that it was against the law 
to throw dead bodies into the bush around the mission-house. 
On Sabbath afternoon, one of the house people said that he 
had seen a dead body the day before. But on going to look, 
we found it had been removed. About the place where it 
had been lying, the stench was truly horrible. The body of 
the poor slave is not buried, but cast into the bush to waste 
away in the open air, or become the food of the vulture. Thus 
the bush about the town is full of human bones, and the 
atmosphere is polluted vrith putrescent animal matter. 



266 



MEMOIE OF EEY. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



" On Monday^ Sth February^ I went with Governor Becroft 
to visit King Eyo at Creek Town. He received us with kind- 
ness, and promised to aid us in erecting a school-house. I 
said that next week I should be at Creek Town for good, and 
he promised, on any day I mentioned, to send his large canoe 
to Duke Town for my luggage. During dinner, the Governor 
spoke to him about the odious practice of killing human beings 
on the death of big men. He allowed that the practice still 
existed ; and, as for himself, he said that there was an old 
woman — his mother, I believe — at whose death some slaves 
must be killed, and then he would be done with it for ever. 
I earnestly hope that, before that event takes place, he will, by 
the Divine blessing, see things in another light, and fall from 
his horrid resolution. He is a clear-headed man, and true to 
his engagements, on which account, I believe, he and his father 
before him have been called " Honesty but very determined, 
and, as a ruler, severe. He is one whom you must respect, 
and whom you must desire to see under the influence of the 
grace of God. After dinner, we returned to Duke Town. 

^' Having now got all our things housed, the boxes had to be 
opened, and everything put in its place. But where that place 
was, it was hard to say, for it did not, as yet, exist. To meet 
this difficulty, we got two planks the length of the store-room, 
and fixed them up. We emptied some of the boxes, and put 
shelves in them, and set them upon the planks. As I sawed 
and hammered, Mr. Edgerly, having the best knowledge of the 
kind of goods required for the market, arranged the shelves, 
and Mrs. Edgerly stowed away into other boxes what was not 
likely to be required for present use. 

It is asked, naturally. What have you to do with all these 
goods ? You more resemble merchants than missionaries. The 
simple reply is, they stand us instead of money. By these we 
have to buy our food, and put up our houses. This system 
of traffic is a very heavy part of our cross. It takes up our 
time j it calls away our attention from more congenial work ] 
and sometimes brings us into painful collision with the people. 
But as it is essential to the work which we have taken in hand. 



SABBATH IX HEATHENDOM. 



267 



we must set our faces to it, and, in dependence on promised 
grace, do the best we can. But it is far from agreeable to leave 
one's work, four or five times a day, to sell a paper of needles for 
a fowl, a few fish hooks for eggs, a knife, or snuff-box, or pad- 
lock, or razor, for some yams. But necessity is a stern law. 
It is do or die. It is Christ's work we are working ; and since 
he became poor to make us rich, surely nothing should be 
esteemed hardship which is connected with the carrying on of 
the great design of mercy, even the working with our own hands, 
that we may not be burdensome to any, like the great Apostle 
of the Gentiles. 

" j\Ir. Edgerly is a hard-working, zealous man. He turns 
his hand pleasantly to anything which requires to be done. The 
same may be said, with like truth, of Mrs. Edgerly. Her ser- 
vices in her department are no less valuable. A mother in 
Israel, where such mothers are so few, is a blessing of no ordi- 
nary kind. 

14:th Fehriiary. — Sabbath has at length arrived. AYe had 
fixed eight a.m. for the meeting at Eyamba's place. It had rained 
all night, and was raining in the morning. But not liking to 
break the engagement, Mr. Edgerly and I went down. Eyamba 
said that there was too much rain, that his gentlemen had not 
come, and that we better return at two p.m. At eleven a.m. I 
went on board the ' Henry,' Captain Smith, while Mr. Edgerly 
went on board the ' Magistrate,' to hold divine service. After 
finishing, we called on Eyamba, and found him in the midst of 
his marketing. The floor was covered with yams, coppers, etc., 
and the place was full of people. We went home, and returned 
at two o'clock. Eyamba told us to go up stairs, and he would 
be ready in a little. After waiting fully an hour, and no call, 
I went down and told him that my time was too precious, and 
I could not remain any longer. He said he was ready, but the 
gentlemen were not come. I waited for nearly another hour. 
At last, the table was covered for dinner ; and a few minutes 
before the eatables were carried in, it was signified to me that 
the king was ready. We went down stairs, and found five or 
six gentlemen sitting around him, with a few slaves standing 



268 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 

behind. I explained the object of our work, and the religion 
which we had come to teach them. Eyamba interpreted, but 
in a manner so careless and indifferent, that I much doubt 
whether he communicated the ideas which I wanted to convey. 
In the meantime, the smoking viands, in large calabashes, were 
being carried up stairs, and the eyes and hearts of all parties 
were turned with marked avidity to the meat which perisheth. 
I stopped, Mr. Edgerly prayed, and we took our leave. 

"The hearts of the people are wholly bent on trade, and 
most firmly glued to their heathenish and superstitious practices. 
That they do not wish to have their minds disturbed about the 
opinions and practices of their forefathers they declare ; and their 
conduct shows how truly they speak. God has opened a door 
of entrance ; and we are most thankful for being allowed to live 
here without molestation, and teach the young. The want of 
a knowledge of the language is a great barrier to our doing 
much among them. Few understand us, and these few under- 
stand us imperfectly. The langiiage and the truths of the word 
of God are entirely foreign to them. On our interpreters little 
reliance can, as yet, be placed. It is true, indeed, and this is 
the spring of our present activity, that the Divine Spirit, in his 
saving operations, is not limited by human calculations of times, 
and seasons, and fitting instrumentality. For aught we know. 
He may, at the present moment, be preparing an Eyamba or an 
Eyo for receiving the word of eternal life. Let us not cease to 
pray that it may be so. But, humanly speaking, the present 
aspect of things strongly demonstrates that this field must be 
cultivated by the acquisition of the native language, the trans- 
lation and circulation of the Holy Scriptures, and teaching the 
young to read these Scriptures, and, in some measure, compre- 
hend the doctrines and precepts which they contain, and the 
terms in which these doctrines and precepts are expressed. 

" On Wednesday, the 1 7th, I came with bag and baggage to 
Creek Town. I have been carrying on a war of extermination 
against the white ants, which have devoured almost entirely some 
of the posts which support the floor. They eat into the heart of 
the wood, and while a post may look well enough from without. 



THE CHUECH's duty TO AFEICA. 



269 



yet when you strike it with the hammer, you find that it is 
nothing more than a shell ; and as you lay bare the in- 
terior, thousands of the ants are seen running about in all 
directions." 

With more than his usual zeal did Mr. Jameson throw him- 
self into his work. He was face to face with heathenism, 
among a people wholly ignorant of the name and salvation of 
God. And his soul was stirred within him as he viewed the 
sad scene, and knew that he bore a sovereign remedy for all 
that woe and wickedness. Here was Satan's throne. Not a 
pillar of it hewn away ! Here was his citadel. Not a breach 
made in it ! for the attack was only just begun. The lowest 
depths of childish, or rather of hellish superstition have been 
reached by these children of Ham. Evil has become their good, 
and the devil their god. How can it be otherwise ? Is it not 
thus wherever the glorious gospel of the blessed God is un- 
known l! Is there any other Saviour from sin than Jesus ? 
And how can men who never heard his name implore his help 1 
Church of the living God ! wake up to pity ! Wake up to the 
high enterprise of your glorious mission ! Christian men and 
women of Britain ! let all this woe be your concern ; and with 
the finger of mercy stoop down, in God's name, to undo this 
heavy burden, that is crushing millions into hell ! Hasten to 
the rescue ! Here is pre-eminently your work ; and you are 
only beginning to begin to do it. Ethiopia is promised to 
J esus, and belongs to him ; and we must proclaim through her 
wide borders the truth about his person and his salvation. It 
is stern, hard work that is needed. The learning of strange 
tongues, the patient giving of line upon line, the telling about 
love Divine to callous and petrified hearts, with no encourage- 
ment, or with much opposition, from the poor blinded creatures 
themselves — this is the kind of work to be performed there. 
But there too the word of God, in the hand of the Spirit of 
God, is the same sharp sword, the same resistless fire-flame, the 
same crushing hammer, that it is elsewhere. Prophesy upon 
the bones, and prophesy to the winds ; and shall not these 
bones then live 1 To doubt it is to doubt the omnipotence of Jesus. 



270 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON". 



The subject of this Memoir saw and believed all this ; and, 
therefore, he began to teach and to preach to old and young the 
truth as it is in Jesus. He has left a very full journal of his 
work up to July 30 th, within six days of his death. Considerable 
portions of that journal were published in various numbers of 
the Missionary Record of the United Presbyterian Church, in 
1847 and 1848. Among these there are very full notices of 
the topics on which he addressed the people, who assembled 
on the Sabbath mornings in King Eyo's yard, when his words 
were interpreted to the audience by the King himself. This 
Eyo was able to do, as he had a good knowledge of colloquial 
English, and was also much interested in the subjects which 
were brought to their notice. The following extracts are 
mainly such as have not hitherto been published. 

" Wednesday J 24:th February. — I commenced the school 
with thirty-two in the morning and thirty-five in the afternoon. 
King Eyo sent up a bell to ring at school hours. The chil- 
dren behaved well ; and some of them can read a little, while 
they seem most anxious to learn. Altogether, the work of the 
day has gone on very satisfactorily. I fondly hope that the 
gracious Lord will in mercy bless the undertaking, and make it 
conducive to this people's good, and his own glory. 

" Thursday, 25th. — The school list to-day numbered forty- 
two. A few who were with us yesterday, went to-day with King 
Eyo to Duke Town to visit the ships. They told me that they 
were going, and I expressed my regret, as it would be very 
much against their learning. At the close, Esien, the king's 
second son, a boy of about ten years old, came to say that if 
king say he must go, he will go, but if not, he will come to 
school. He came to-day ; but the others, not being able to 
resist the temptation of a day's pleasure, went in the canoes. 
To show that I was pleased with his self-denial, I ' dashed ' Esien 
a knife, with which he seemed highly pleased. About twenty 
of the boys came up to family worship. I made them repeat 
after me the Lord's prayer and the Ten Commandments. In 
commencing the school, I prayed shortly myself, and then made 
the scholars again repeat the Lord's prayer and the Command- 



JEALOUSY OF THE COAST TETBES. 



271 



ments. None of tliem appeared to understand one word of 
wliat they were saying, and for me to attempt to give them any 
idea of it was only confounding the confusion. I spoke : they 
imderstood not, and shook their heads. They spoke : I under- 
stood not, and shook mine. I put some to their books, and 
others to the letter box, making thought visible, and sound 
sense. 

''Friday, 26t7i. — A number of Ebo people came to see the 
white man and his house. I asked them if they would like to 
see a white man in their country. They said, ^ Yes.' " 

Missionaries have not free access to the interior parts. Every 
article of commerce passes through the hands of the coast tribes. 
They jealously watch over this monopoly ; and lest the opera- 
tions of missionaries should in any way interfere with it, they 
use every means to keep them from visiting places beyond. 
This makes extreme caution and prudence, and Christian for- 
bearance and temper, necessary on the part of the missionary 
who desires to preach Jesus where His name is not known. 
Patience, caution, and wisdom, combined with tact and kindly 
firmness, will, under God, break down this barrier. Mr. 
Jameson soon discovered this difiiculty ; and it still exists in 
Old Calabar with little abatement. He wrote: — ''I have been 
told that this was the cause of the death of Lander. He was 
shot by a Bonny man, who went into the interior for that pur- 
pose. The murderer is alive still, and is well known at Bonny. 
I make these observations to show that our way will be in. a 
great measure shut up, until those among whom we dwell, feel 
perfectly assured that in giving us a permit, they do not risk 
their trade ; and that, in the meantime, it is our duty to show 
them what we are, and whose we are, by diligently doing our 
duty. 

" Some days ago, I tried my hand, for the first time, at 
Calabar marketing. Wanting fresh soup, I sent to the mar- 
ket to buy a fowl. A person who said he was my friend, 
sent me one, charging 1 6 coppers, and also some small fish 
for which he charged 13 ; saying that he would come for the 
coppers in the evening. He came, making great professions 



272 



MEMOIR OF HEV. WILLIAM JAMESOX. 



of friendship. I went to the box and paid him 29 ship cop- 
pers instead of 29 Calabar coppers, that is 145 instead of 29. 
He continued to boast of his friendliness in high-sounding 
terms, while, at the same time, he failed not to lay his greedy- 
hands on my best knives and forks, and padlocks, and scissors. 
I said to him that if this was the price I had to pay for living 
at Creek Town, I must go. On thinking, I found out my 
mistake, and was not a little annoyed at my stupidity and 
simplicity, which were the more inexcusable, as I had been 
warned of the difference. I sent for my friend, with a mes- 
sage that he must bring the coppers with him. He came 
himself, but took care to leave the goods at home. He was 
easily persuaded that I had made a great mistake. But he 
said he would take the remainder on trust, and send me the 
value. 

" Saturday^ 21th February. — Wrote a note to King Eyo, 
saying that as to-morrow was the Sabbath of the Lord, I 
would be happy to hold divine service with him and his people. 
In reply, he stated that he would be too busy to-morrow, but 
that, next week, he would be ready. As might be expected, 
the Sabbath as a day of sacred rest is utterly unknown in 
Calabar. It comes and goes like the other days of the week. 
It is said to be well that we have not idolaters to deal with, 
but a people without any religion, to whom we seek to give 
one. This sounds well far off, but when you come near to 
grapple with what is, you find it awfully obvious, that the 
carnal mind is enmity against God. Whether idolaters or no 
idolaters, human power is no power. In both cases the arm of 
the Lord is needed, and in both cases the arm of the Lord is 
all that is needed. This great mountain, before the Lord's 
servants, and to speed on his cause, will sink into a plain." 

In allusion to the Egbo institution, Mr. Jameson writes 
that, " to expose to the people, in our present circumstances, 
and in theirs^ the delusions connected with the apparently 
mysterious being called Egbo, would be to peril the safety of 
the country, and it would prove fatal to the work which we 
desire to advance, by causing us to be sent out of the country. 



SCHOOL WOEK. 



273 



We should act as men who want to take down an old wall. 
They build a new one out of better materials before demolish- 
ing the old, so that what is enclosed and worth preserving 
may suffer nothing by undue exposure. Our present work is 
to spread far and wide, among old and young, by teaching and 
preaching, the knowledge of the Christian religion — the best 
bulwark of nations, as well as the source of man's best hope 
for time and eternity. As we proceed, under the power of the 
Spirit of God, the minds of the people will be gradually en- 
lightened. ; they will become disgusted at their former igno- 
rance and superstition ; and all classes will consent to remove 
the unseemly structure of former ages, and to erect the bul- 
warks of the country on the foundation of righteousness and 
truth. 0 Lord ! hasten this day, long desired and expected. 
Arise, 0 Sun of Righteousness ! with healing in thy wings, 
that this dark night may pass away from under these heavens, 
" Wednesday^ 10th March. — To-day the school was small. 
It is King Eyo's Sunday — the day on which he makes a Cala- 
bar feast to all the white men in the river. A general invita- 
tion is given by three cannon shots fired in the morning ; and 
all white people are welcome to come. In explaining the 
second commandment, I mentioned the name of the devil. 
The boy who was interpreting asked, ^ Who is the devil f 
' Your enemy, and the enemy of God. He tries to make you 
as bad as himself, that you may be punished as he will be.' 
' But why did God make the devil so bad ^ I replied, that. 
God made him good, but he became proud, and was cast down 
to hell ; and that now he goes about trying to turn all men 
against God, and in favour of himself. ' But, why does God 
not kill him V ' God could easily kill him, but He leaves 
him alone, as well as He leaves men who are bad. Yet a 
time is coming when God will punish the devil and all his 
followers.' Many of the children are shrewd. I humbly 
trust that the most blessed Spirit will prepare an intelligent 
and energetic agency here. Out of these stones he can raise 
up children to Abraham. 

Sahbath, lith March. — Went down this morning to the 
s 



274 MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 

king's yard according to promise, to meet with the people. I 
sat there a long time, and saw no movement of any kind that 
appeared to favour my object. The king had sent out the 
Egbo drum to summon the people. On its return I was 
called, and on going down from the king's dining-room to the 
yard where they were assembled, found the attendance very 
good. The king commanded silence. Having prayed, I gave 
them some account of the creation, but directed their atten- 
tion more particularly to the creation of man. 

" Saturday^ 20th March. — Hearing that the king was 
about to start for Duke Town to visit the ships, I went down 
to remind him that to-morrow is God's Sabbath, and to ar- 
range a meeting for divine worship. Having told my errand, 
I expressed the hope that we should have our usual meeting. 
He said he would tell me when he came back. I said, ' King, 
I hope you will make no engagement for to-morrow that will 
interfere with the Lord's work : for this is your chief business 
to-morrow. If you lay it aside, God will be angry, but if you 
attend to it, his blessing may rest upon you. When you re- 
turn, I will send to inquire, and will come down to-morrow, at 
any hour which you may appoint.' I sent accordingly, in the 
evening, and received a note in reply : — ^ My dear Friend, — 
I will be happy to hear God's word to-morrow morning at 
eight o'clock.' 

" Sahhath^ 2\st. — Went down according to arrangement, 
and found the king engaged in some business. I went up to 
the dining-room, bidding him call when he was ready. In 
a little, the messenger came. The king appeared annoyed, 
because there were not more people, and said : ' I sent out 
early to call all men, and you see very few have come.' How- 
ever, there were about as many as usual. When I was com- 
mencing to speak, the king turned round and said : ^ I wish 
you would tell the people about all those things they do in 
abusing and killing one another. I want no more man to be 
killed, but all these things to be done away with.' I said 
that I would do so with pleasure, as I was to speak about 
sin, and that would just come in my way. I then said to the 



IMPORTANCE OF MISSION SCHOOLS. 



275 



people, ' You see that you have a good king, one who desires 
your good, and he is sorry to see that there are not more of his 
people present. I want to see your wives and children here 
also, for I am sent to teach them as well as the men. All 
must die ; all must rise again ; all must be judged, but only 
the good will go to happiness ; the bad will be sent to punish- 
ment.' The king said, ' Yes, this meeting is for all alike.' " 

Then follows a very full account of the discourse for that 
day, in which the missionary informed them of the creation of 
woman, the history and character of the devil, his successful 
endeavour to ruin man, the first disobedience, and the ex- 
pulsion of our first parents from paradise. 

The school occupied Mr. Jameson's time during some part 
of each day. Every true missionary must feel the importance, 
yea, the necessity, of exerting himself among the young. If 
his lot is cast among people who have a literature, and scht)ols 
where the youth are taught to read, he need not, at the com- 
mencement of his mission, spend his time in teaching the art 
of reading. As in Burmah, he finds a people who can read, 
and are fond of reading, and he sets himself, like the apostolic 
Judson, to acquire a complete knowledge of their tongue, that 
he may at once spread the knowledge of the Saviour through 
tracts and books carefully prepared and widely circulated. 
By and bye, Christian schools wdll become necessary ; but 
the pioneer will not spend much of his time in this depart- 
ment. It is otherwise in Africa. Of what use are books, if 
the people are not taught how to use them 1 Can a mission- 
ary fail to labour in the daily, exhausting work of teaching 
the young the arts of reading and writing ; and can he de- 
spise any means, however humble, by which the young may 
be encouraged to seek instruction, or allow any occupation 
I whatever to make him either neglect this department alto- 
1 gether or do it remissly 1 Let every labourer in the field of 
' missions look at the noble example of William Jameson. 
' When his hands were full of pastoral work, and his heart full 
of anxieties in church building, when he had no Society's funds 
to fall back upon, if h^ had not a suitably qualified helper for 



276 



MEMOIE OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



the school, he devoted to it his best energies. And here, in 
Africa, he pursued the same course. And so will every man 
whose heart is in his work, and who gives himself to it, with 
that singleness of purpose and of aim, which it requires. 

Mr. Jameson spent his leisure in learning the language. 
He says : — " The language we are acquiring as fast as we 
can. I have arranged it, through the help of Mr. WaddelFs 
vocabulary, into something like grammatical order, and trans- 
lated the Lord's Prayer and some other portions of the New 
Testament. How far I have succeeded in this first attempt 
I am not yet fully able to judge, my object being chiefly self- 
advancement in the knowledge of the language." 

Missionaries in Africa require a talent for acquiring lan- 
guages, as much as missionaries in Asia. Africa has no liter- 
ature, no grammar, no moonshees, no pundits. It is difficult 
for a European to learn an African language ; yet it is of the 
very first importance. No native can interpret a missionary's 
thoughts, and convey his feelings with fulness and accuracy. 
It needs much time and labour to enable him to do so him- 
self, in vehicles so imperfect as vehicles of religious feeling and 
Christian truth, and so imperfectly understood. And what if, 
as in the case of Madagascar, the missionaries should be 
banished, and the converts left to themselves ! If the word 
of God or some portions of it are left in their hands, all will 
be well. The Lord, the Spirit, will make his own use of it. 
A seed will thus be left in the soil, and it will not be lost. 
To give an African tribe a good version of the word of God, 
and teach as many as possible to read it, is to do a great work. 
If this is done, then let the devil stir up his children to drive 
away the Lord's servants. The tree has been planted which 
will not die. The fire has been kindled that will not quench. 
That germ of life will live in the sternest soil, and the Lord of 
life will make a lever of it to overturn, and change, and re- 
generate. Church of God, in favoured Britain and favoured 
America ! put on ne^v strength. Grudge not your best men 
to the work of rendering the sacred words of Heaven into 
every tongue of man that needs a version. And do not 



I 



DOMESTIC LIFE. 



277 



grudge the means of teaching as many as possible to read and 
understand it. 

The following extracts, from a letter addressed to Mr. and 
Mrs. Milne, his brother and sister, give some sketch of ]\Ir. 
Jameson's domestic experience at Creek Town : — 

" My house I had got into some degree of order and com- 
fort, when a tornado came on and destroyed it. The wind made 
the thatch fly in all directions. On looking out, I saw that 
our kitchen had been laid flat with the ground. The rain 
poured in on us, so that, in five minutes, the floor of the hall 
was running, and my bedroom, the only other room in the 
house, was admitting the rain in all quarters. A young man 
who came with me from Fernando Po, makes my food, goes to 
market, and looks after my house. Another young boy cleans 
knives, etc. Upon the whole, I am comfortable and happy : 
for having my work, there is no time to weary, and this, with 
the presence of the blessed Master, is all that is required to 
reconcile the mind to any place and to any circumstances. 
None must come here expecting much. Love to Christ and 
to his work can alone sustain the mind amidst the privations 
and discomforts to which we are exposed. He that is happy 
under the Cross, as well as when not under it, will find satis- 
faction and peace ; but every other will find a vacuum which 
nothing can fill. I feel thankful that I have none with me 
w^hom I love as myself, either wife or sister, subjected to see, 
to feel, to hear what there is in this part of the world. You 
must not suppose from these remarks that I regret my coming, 
or that I am aught but happy. If you do, you are mistaken. 
I am very happy, very busy, and very hot." 

The whole of his correspondence at this time is most animat- 
ing, full of ardent devotion to Christ, and breathing forth the 
intensest zeal. It is the bright and softening radiance of the 
setting sun. This is nothing uncommon in the experience of ex- 
emplary servants of the Lord. The nearer they come to the 
goal, the faster do they run. The nearer to the tw^elfth hour, 
the more vigorously do they work the work of the Lord. Some 
rays from the approaching glory are reflected from their coun- 



278 MEMOIE OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 

tenances. Jesus feels nearer — yea, close at hand. Their joy 
is to speak of him, and to think of him, and to pray to him. 
And they are frequently favoured with a prophetic instinct, and 
see the light of the Sun of Kighteousness beginning to gild the 
tops of the hills of darkness, harbingers of his sure and glorious 
rising — of a perfect day of gospel privilege and Christian life, 
in places where, from the beginning of the world until now, the 
word of the living G-od has not been preached. 

The next entry in the journal refers to the sickening scenes of 
blood which were enacted at the death of King Eyamba. A soul- 
harrowing narrative of the atrocities which were perpetrated at 
his death, was given by Messrp Edgerly and Jameson, and full 
particulars are contained in the Missionary Record for November, 
1847. There we see the earnest efforts made by Mr. Jameson 
and Mr. Edgerly to save life, and how fruitless were their en- 
deavours. They remonstrated and pleaded, but the heathen heart, 
inured to scenes of inhumanity, felt not their appeals. Super- 
stition neither fears God nor regards man. But these efforts 
and testimonies against evil and for good were perseveringly 
followed up by the missionaries; and in 1856, through the 
Divine blessing, bore fruit. In that year, under the influence 
of good King Eyo Honesty, a law was made, that no more men 
should be killed for the dead. It should be borne in mind, that 
there is ever among heathens a danger of partial relapse into 
old customs. In so far as is known, the Calabar people have 
kept their own law, although it has been alleged that it has 
been evaded by some. The only security against a reaction is 
the gradual leavening of the mass with the spirit of the religion 
of Jesus Christ. 

''Monday^ Zlst. — King Cameroons visited me some time 
ago, and remained to dinner. Having nothing but a tea-cup to 
divide the soup, and mugs to drink our water, the gentleman 
said nothing, but ate his chop heartily and pleasantly. As soon 
as he returned to his house, he sent up a boy with a divider 
and two tumblers, with a message, that no Calabar gentleman 
liked to drink out of mugs, but they all use dividers to soup, 
and tumblers to water. 



ENTEETAINS A KIXG. 



279 



^•Another day, John Eyo, a brother of the kiDg, was at 
breakfast. We wanted egg-cups, but we managed as well as 
circumstances would permit. He made no remark, but on 
going home, he sent up two wine-glasses to be used for that 
purpose. If I am not a gentleman at chop, it is not because I 
lack the kind attention of my friends. 

" J line ^th. — Speaking to the children in school respecting 
prayer, I asked whether any of them ever prayed. Some said, 
'Yes others, 'No.' One boy, on being asked, replied, 'No. 
I cannot pray in English yet, and God no saby Calabar.' T 
assured him that he was in a great mistake, for God saby Cala- 
bar as well as English. He saby everything we think before we 
speak it, and although we do not speak it at all. 

" After being so long here, I felt desirous that King Eyo 
should visit my house, and dine v/ith me, I accordingly fixed 
a day ; and he came, with a number of his chiefs. Addison, 
my man, rose at three a.m., and by ten o'clock had everything 
ready to set on the table. A little before that hour, the king 
arrived. He walked under the shade of a huge umbrella of 
various colours, chiefly red and blue. This gay canopy is five 
or six feet wide ; the handle is perhaps seven feet long, and 
from two to three inches thick. Behind the king walks the 
bearer of the umbrella, and around him are his attendants, each 
carrying a sword or a musket. In this company were the 
gentlemen, and the greater number of the school children, who 
seemed as deeply interested in the proceedings as any. After 
dinner, or more properly breakfast, I proposed to read a portion 
of God's word, and pray. This I accordingly did. While 
reading and explaining the law of love, and the evils of quarrel- 
ling and fighting, the king said : ' Yes, I know that be true, 
long ago. For this same town here was broken to pieces and 
destroyed by quarrels. Many people were killed, and many 
went away to live at Duke Town. I wished to come back to 
my father's town, and wanted my family to come with me, but 
they all refused. At last, I got one or two of them to come, 
and we build up the place. Then one come, then another, till 
we all come back.' The forenoon was spent thus in a very in- 



280 



MEMOIE OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



teresting manner, I was struck with the decorum and good 
manners of all who were present." 

The " Warree," at length, arrived from Jamaica with a, 
reinforcement, consisting of Messrs. Goldie and Newhall, with 
their wives, and several natives of Jamaica. 

''Saturday, June l^th. — The forenoon's school having 
closed, I took the glass to see what signal was raised at the 
mission-house at Duke Town. The letter ' W at last made 
its appearance. This signal had been agreed upon to an- 
nounce the arrival of the ' Warree.' I immediately got six or 
seven of the school boys with their paddles into the boat, and 
set off, in all haste, to meet the friends from afar. All were 
well and in good spirits ; a gracious God had encompassed 
them with mercy during a tedious voyage of three months. 

" Mr. Waddell came with me, so that, this evening, I had 
the happiness of welcoming my brother to my humble abode 
in Old Calabar. Last time I saw him under my roof was at 
Goshen Pen House. How different the abodes ! But not 
different the hearts ! Not diflerent the God whom we serve ! 
We pray as well in this humble dwelling, as in the great 
house at Goshen ; and we are as happy in the one place as in 
the other. We have our work, our food, our sleep, our 
Christian privileges, the fulness of Him who filleth all in all, 
as our portion, and what more can we desire 1 We forget 
not all his benefits." 

Of this happy meeting Mr. Waddell makes the following 
notice : — " The sight of Brother Jameson put all gloomy 
thoughts to flight. It was delightful to meet him here in 
Calabar. My beloved brother had joyfully put up with what 
others would have murmured at as inconveniences, and was as 
happy, he assured me, as ever he had been in his life. He 
had benf his energies to the school, and it prospered in his 
hands." 

'' SahhatJi, 20th June. — Mr. Waddell preached in the king's 
yard. Every one was glad to see him, and welcomed him as an 
old friend. He explained Kom. xiii. on the relative duties of 
rulers and subjects. The people were well out, and attentive." 



THE " WAREEE " ASEIYES FROM JAMAICA. 283 

Referring to the same day, Mr. Waddell writes : — In 
ll the afternoon, the children assembled in the Sabbath school, 
' and my delight in hearing Mr. Jameson and others getting on 

in mingled English and Calabar, was more than I can well 

express." 

"Monday, 2lst. — Mr. Waddell and I, after the morning 
I school, returned to Duke Town. We had our first meeting of 
I committee, and agreed that Mr. Waddell retain his station at 

Duke Town ; and that, for the i^resent, Mr. Goldie remain 
I there also, until he be acclimatized, learn the language, and 
I Providence open up another field for him to occupy ; that I 
i remain at Creek Town, and that Mr. Newhall go there to 

teach the school ; and that Mr. Edgerly open a new station at 

Old Town. 

" Wednesday, June 30th. — The schooner came up to Creek 
Town, on Thursday last, to land the house which was brought 
from Jamaica for this station; She anchored immediately be- 
low the town, and full in sight of the mission-house.^ The 
sight of her resting on the peaceful water, aroused thoughts of 
[l interest and gTandeur. Rest on, little vessel ! and enjoy the 
repose to which thy hard service entitles thee. May the bless- 
ing of Heaven ever rest on thee, and on him who has placed 
thee at our disposal.^ And whether thou continue ours or 
not, may prosperous gales ever attend thee." 

The house was landed from the " Warree," and carried up, 
board by board, to the place where it now stands. The 
king's people and the school children carried, and the king's 
brothers superintended. " About one o'clock, the children 

j 1 Over the tops of the mangrove trees, seven miles away, stand the Duke Town 
; mission premises ; and to the left, at about the same distance, is Old Totvti. 
Signals can be interchanged between the three mission-houses at pleasure. Below, 
there lies the Creek ; and between the mission-house and the Creek is the native 
town. The most prominent objects are the king's house, and the chui'ch more to 
the left. The former was burned in 1859. 

■2 When a ship was wanted to convey the mission to Africa, a liberal friend, 
Mr. Baikie of Kirkwall, gave a new sloop. But it was found to be too small ; 
and, just in the hour of need, one of Liverpool's princely merchants generously 
granted the use of the "Warree," as long as she might be needed, with an annual 
subscription of £100 to keep her in a sailing condition. 



284: MEMOIE OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 

came beating on their bellies, signifying that they were hungry. 
A potful of Calabar chop was standing ready for my dinner. 
In a twinkling it was devoured, and the beating on the belly 
still continued. Some of them shook their skins heartily to 
show how empty they were. More chop was cooked, and, at 
last, all were satisfied. 

The following, from a letter to Miss Jameson (now IMrs. 
Simpson of Annan), 19th July, 1847, is interesting. The 
pioneer goes into the virgin forest, and by patient toil fells the 
old trees, and makes a clearance. He builds a humble log- 
house, and works on in the woods there. A hard life is his, 
but hope keeps him up and at it. He sees, in prospect, fields 
of ripe grain where now the forest waves. Posterity will owe 
much to him, and to those hardy men who work and hope like 
him. To such as these they will owe fruitful fields, and yellow 
harvests, and wealth. These men are planting the acorn. 
Children's childi'en will rejoice under the broad arms of the 
giant oak. Their rude shanties, made of the rough logs, are 
the germs of stately homes, where elegance and plenty will yet 
be seen. So it is with the pioneer missionary. His is the 
burden and heat of the day. His it is to go forth weeping 
with his precious seed, to fell the forest, to clear off tlie jungle, 
and to sow. Others will come after and reap. He labours ; 
others will enter into his labours. The sower and the reaper 
shall rejoice together, when they meet in their Father's home on 
high, and see the precious sheaves that have been gathered from 
their united labours — a blessed increase which the Lord has 
given. 

From the time I rise till I lie down, every moment is 
occupied. I have upwards of sixty scholars daily. We are 
also busy in putting up the house. It will be a comfortable 
residence, if God dwell with us, and hallow it with his presence. 
I could look upon it as a home, were you and Catherine under 
its roof. But, at present, that cannot be. The natives are 
kind, and I feel myself not only perfectly safe, but even happy, 
in the midst of them. The children and adults go and come 
with all the ease and familiarity which were shown by our 



SABBATH IN THE KING S YAED. 



285 



people at Goshen. Sometimes they dash (present) a fowl, some- 
times a goat, and sometimes a few yams. 

Sahhath Scenes in the King^s Yard. — " Eyo likes very ill to 
interpret the same thing over again. He has a very tenacious 
memory, and if I happen to repeat a statement, he turns round 
and says : ' You tell us that before ; w^e want to hear some- 
thing we no saby yet.' Once and again I have gone with 
my subject prepared ; and as soon as he discovered the drift 
of it, he looked up and said : ' That no do. I tell you we want 
the fashions. The people no care about these things yet. By 
and bye they will like them : but all man come to hear what 
God's word want them to do.' Eyo likes the law, or the 
fashions, as he calls it, but the doctrine of the Cross a^jpears to 
him but foolishness. Sometimes a long palaver arises between 
him and the rest about something suggested by the discourse. 
Last Sabbath, I was explaining the nature of prayer, and told 
them that w^e must pray in the name of Jesus Christ, and not 
love sin in our hearts. Eyo said : ' I wish God would take 
away all sin out of my heart, that I might pray right.' And 
I stated that God hears and answers the prayers of his people. 
Here Eyo proposed a diflBculty : ' Why so many people pray God 
to give them chop, and they no get the kind they want V 
Among other reasons, I stated that some pray but will not 
work. All day, they sit and clamour to Abasi (God) for chop, 
as if He would send it down to them from heaven ; but they 
do not work for it. Now, God says. If a man will not work, 
he shall not eat. This reason tickled the king much. He 
laughed heartily, and began with hirr to interpret. He had, 
now and then, to stop to get out his laugh, in which the rest 
joined him : and, for about ten minutes, the gravity of our 
meeting was completely upset. At length, Eyo said, ' That 
be very good fashion ; we all saby that and like it.' What 
heljDcd to arouse the sense of the ridiculous, was the presence 
of a man called, by way of nickname, King Chop^ who is just 
such a person as I had described, ever clamouring for the good 
things of this life, but unwilling to do a hand's turn. Eyo feeds 
him out of charity." 



286 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



But— 

*'The spoiler came, and all tliat promise fair 
Has sought the grave, to hide for ever there." 

Mr Jameson's labours, prosecuted with so mucli wisdom, 
fidelity, love, and zeal, could not fail to commend him to those 
among whom he lived. In one department, that of settling 
palavers, he seems to have been singularly gifted. This work 
among Africans requires in Europeans great patience and good 
temper. Both are severely tried in hearing a full and particu- 
lar account of the minutiae of quarrels which are, in general, 
very childish, and arise from frivolous causes, although attended 
with extraordinary heat, and cherished with great tenacity. Mr. 
Jameson showed so much tact and temper in settling these 
differences, that the late King Eyo used to tell the writer that 
his father proposed to install him as judge for the whole 
town ! ! 

During the too short period of his life in Old Calabar, he 
established himself in the confidence and affection of all. Even 
now, after a lapse of fourteen years, his memory is cherished ; 
and any reference to him still awakens the slumbering feeling 
of regard towards the faithful servant of the Lord Y^ho spent 
such a short missionary life in their midst. The late King 
Eyo has told the writer that, at one time, during Mr. Jame- 
son's stay at Creek Town, he was in great trouble. His 
mother had committed a great fault, and was put under ban by 
his father. Such was the shame and vexation of her son, that 
in his desperation he resolved to commit suicide. But God 
directed him to open his mind to Mr. Jameson, who sat with 
him the greater part of the night, and by his conversation, 
diverted him from his purpose. In the language of Governor 
Becroft, " The people idolized him, and there was nothing 
which it was beyond his power to accomplish." His scholars 
frequented his room, and he was am.ong them as an elder 
brother. He was full of plans for their benefit and for the pro- 
motion of the mission. 

All who are actually engaged in, or aspire to, the work of 
missionaries to the heathen, would do well to inquire what 



MISSIONARIES MUST LOVE. 



287 



was the secret of the success of such a servant of the Lord. 
By what means, or by what attribute of character, did he 
acquire so much influence over men, and enter so deeply into 
their confidence ? There is only one answer to this question. 
Mr. Jameson was one who loved men for their good. His 
heart was large. He could love even an ugly, rude, untutored, 
selfish African, and that from the remarkable afi'ectionateness 
of his disposition. The power of love was the power which 
opened to him the hearts of those among whom he laboured. 
Xo man can be a good missionary without this spirit of love. 
The heathen, if not attracted to the man, by seeing that he 
loves them, vdll not be drawn to the "doctrine," however ably 
he may preach it. If the missionary be unamiable, impatient, 
irascible, or petulant, if he be disposed to be angry at what 
is bad among the heathen, and get soured by their greed, and 
falsehood, and other evil qualities, they will soon discover it. 
And the discovery will not fail to steel them against the mis- 
sionary personally, and against the gospel, which he ought to 
commend to them by the very opposite characteristics. They 
will not exercise towards him the forbearance which a pious 
church exercises towards the infirmities of a pastor. The 
evangelist must be an embodiment of gospel love. And the 
more ignorant, and stolid, and provoking, and even insulting 
the sinners are to whom he preaches Jesus Christ, the more 
necessary is it that he exhibit among them, and towards them, 
the patient love that animated our blessed Lord and Saviour, 
and which was reflected from such preachers of the Cross as 
Paul and John, and such missionaries as a Williams, a Judson, 
and a Jameson. If in one missionary now in the field, or in 
one missionary-elect, or in one yoimg person destined of God 
for missionary work, this narrative of the ten years' earnest 
and loving labotir of this large-hearted man, be the means of 
evoking a determination to grow in the spirit of gospel love, 
of which Jesus Christ was, pre-eminently, the exemplar, and 
of which the subject of it was so noble a specimen, it wiU not 
have been written in vain. 

■ It is with regret that we draw near to behold the end of 



288 MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 

this ministry. Would to God that it had been prolonged ! 
Why, we ask, was such a labourer removed so soon 1 Why 
is he not still in the high places of the field '? Our blessed 
Lord and Master would both try the faith of his people, and 
rebuke their sad tendency to make man their trust. How 
shall the work go on, when such a labourer dies ? How shall 
the war prosper, when such a soldier rests 1 The Lord will 
show that he has others, and will send them forth. The fatal 
tendency among the churches to look away from the arm of 
the Lord to the earth-born arm that bears to the poor heathen 
the word of life, is a tendency that ever provokes rebuke and 
trial. Why will not the people of God cease from man — em- 
phatically cease from man, whose breath is in his nostrils ? 
The Lord is dishonoured and displeased, when we forget that 
the conversion of a soul is entirely due to His almighty grace. 
To this thoughtlessness and idolatry on the part of the Church 
we, no doubt, owe the removal of many a master of Israel. 
God thus teaches us that " not by might or by power " of 
man, " but by the Lord, the Spirit," can the world be turned 
to Him. 

But the days of our appointed time must come to an end. 
The numbered hour is on the wing that lays us with the 
dead." The Lord's work seems to need the devoted, and wise, 
and affectionate service of his gifted ambassador. To his 
friends he seems indispensable. His fellow-labourers cling to 
him in the land of dark heathenism. But is not Jesus him- 
self alive, and present too, when the servant is removed to 
heaven 1 And is not He " all in all " to his own cause, to 
the bereaved heart, and to the labourers in the field, who, at 
the death of their brother, feel as when a standard-bearer 
falls ? 

The following, to his daughter, was among the very last 
which Mr. Jameson wrote : — 

Jul^ 23d, 1847. — My beloved Child, — I am glad to 
hear that you are getting on at school, that you like it, that 
you learn your lessons, and that you are able to stand so high 
in the class. All this makes me very glad. But do not for- 



HIS LAST ILLNESS. 



289 



get that the blessing of God alone can make your learning 
truly profitable, and that without this what you learn will be 
of little service. Strive not to get above your neighbours in 
the class, that you may be considered better than they ; for 
this is an unworthy feeling and very unprofitable. Strive, my 
dear child, for knowledge, which is unspeakably better than 
medals, or prizes, or praise. Above all, seek the knowledge 
which maketh wise unto salvation. Oh, Catherine, what is the 
world without this ? What is any accomplishment of mind or 
body worth, if the soul be barren towards God ? Eead those 
books which bring before you the state of your depraved heart, 
and show you that you are undone, and which tell you of the 
love of Jesus Christ. Above all, read your Bible diligently, 
and pray earnestly for the Divine Spirit. . . . May the Lord 
keep you, my child, and may he lead your heart to himself, 
in your youthful years. This is the prayer of your loving 
father." 

On Wednesday, July 28th, Mr. Jameson visited Duke 
iTown, for the last time. During that week, he had felt indis- 
*posed, but had been able to go on with his work. The 
brethren had agreed to observe the Lord's Supper, for the 
first time, in that heathen land, on the afternoon of Sabbath, 
the 1st of August, and he was anticipating with joy the blessed 
ordinance. On the evening of Wednesday, he addressed the 
weekly prayer- meeting at Duke Town, on the 14:th chapter of 
the Gospel of John. He spoke of the chapter as abounding in 
promises, filled with consolation, and well fitted to chase away 
perplexities and cares, and lead to the fountain of rest and 
peace those who were living in that land of sin and death. 
He then spoke of the pleasure which he anticipated in sitting 
down at the Lord's table in Old Calabar. He slept on board 
the " Warree," and, next morning, returned to Creek Town. 

On the evening of Friday (30th), he and Mr. Waddell took 
a walk to a hill, about a mile distant, as it was a tempting 
evening for a little wholesome exercise. " I hope it will do 
me good," he said, ^' for I have not felt so well to-day, a little 
feverish like. The fresh air and exercise, after the heat, and 



290 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



dust, and confinement of tlie school, will help to brace me up." 
On their return, he took medicine and a warm bath, and, next 
morning, said he felt quite well. 

The morning of Sabbath (August 1st) was very damp, and 
Mr. Jameson did not feel well. He doubted the propriety of 
his going to Duke Town that day, deeply regretting that he 
should not be present at the first celebration of the Lord's 
Supper in that country. Mr. Waddell went to Duke Town, 
and Mr. Jameson to his usual meeting in the king's yard, 
hoping that after it was over, he might yet be able to join the 
little band around the Lord's table. But death had begun to 
execute his commission — to prepare the Lord's servant for 
his Master's presence. With that service in King Eyo's yard 
his ministry ended. Never again will the children of Efik 
hear his voice, till the day of accounts, when it may be heard 
testifying against those who refused to believe and obey the 
word of eternal life, which he and others declared unto them. 

The record of the closing scenes of this devoted, godly, 
earnest life, is preserved in letters from those who were fellow- 
labourers in that land of darkness and of death. The ac- 
counts contained in these letters are exceedingly touching. 
About noon on Sabbath, Mr. Waddell, who was conducting a 
religious service on board the Majestic," received a note from 
Mr. Jameson, saying that he was very unwell, and wished to 
see Dr. M'Losky, immediately. That gentleman went to Creek 
Town, without delay ; and, after the solemn and interesting 
service of communion at the table of the Lord, Mr. Waddell 
hastened to the bed-side of his sick brother, and found him 
attended by Mr. Chisholm, one of the carpenters of the mission. 
He was very composed, and much gratified to hear that they 
had had a comfortable service. The directions of Dr. M'Losky, 
who felt anxious about Mr. Jameson, were carried out during 
the night ; and, on the morning of Monday, there was such 
apparent improvement as delighted the doctor. In the even- 
ing, fever returned ; and, on the morning of Tuesday, symp- 
toms of mental wandering appeared. When Mr. Waddell 
spoke or read to, or prayed with him, he was perfectly sensible. 



HIS DEATH. 



291 



Then lie would shut his eyes a little, and murmur incoherently. 
Such precious words as, " Fear not, for I am with thee ; be 
not dismayed, for I am thy God, etc.," would cause a smile of 
complacency, and he would say, " Ah, that is it ! That is the 
good word ! That is the truth ! ' Never leave thee, never for- 
sake thee !' " The doctor came, and took measures which re- 
sulted, by the Divine blessing, in such improvement, that the 
beloved patient revived, indications of delirium ceased, and he 
passed a tolerable night. 

On Wednesday (4th), Mr. Jameson was apparently much 
better. King Eyo went to see him, and sat a few minutes 
with him. To him, and to one or two of his best scholars, he 
spoke a few words. Messrs. Goldie, Edgerly, and XewhaU 
went from Duke Town to visit him. He said he was much 
better, and would soon go to Duke Town, for change of air. 
About seven p.m., he became sleejDV, and about nine began to 
refuse his medicines. He slept till near two o'clock, but not 
a refreshing sleep. His skin was hot and dry, and his pulse 
quick. He became very restless, and moaned much, with 
occasionally short sighs. He was not awake nor asleep, but 
in a kind of stupor. Ah, that African fever was holding him 
in its fatal grasp, and shaking him over the grave's mouth. 
Towards morning, he hiccoughed several times. That fatal 
hiccough ! jMr. Waddell knew its deadly sound, and sent for 
the doctor and JMr. Goldie, with a note conveying his deep 
anxiety on account of the sufferer. 

About six A.M. of Thiu-sday (oth), he perspired a little, and 
was somewhat relieved, responding in a faint voice to the morn- 
ing salutation, " Good morning, brother," and saying he felt no 
pain, was quite well, and only weak. The doctor, with Mr. 
Goldie and Captain Gumming, soon arrived. The sufferer 
again became insensible. All was done that medical skill could 
dictate ; but all in vain. Coma supeiTened, and the patient 
never revived. " I cried unto God," writes Mr. Waddell, "to 
whom belong the issues from death, that He would have mercy 
on him, and raise him up from the gates of death. But God 
had some better thing in view for him than a return to the 



292 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



labours and trials of this life. Beloved brother, must I lose 
you so soon, after rejoicing to meet you, and spending with you 
a few happy weeks 1 His breathing then became slow and 
measured, and was accompanied with some noise. I took his 
pulse in my hand. It beat feebly. He breathed at intervals, 
gasped, gave two or three slight convulsive efforts, — the ties of 
life were breaking, his pulse fluttered for a moment, and all was 
still. Mr. Goldie and I closed his eyes. I kissed the hand I 
held, and bade him farewell. While we bid you farewell, the 
Lord God, your Kedeemer, welcomes you. Sin and death have 
done their worst on you, beloved brother ; you are past the 
reach of their darts now. Angels and the spirits of just men 
made perfect welcome you home. We sorrow, but not as those 
who have no hope. He sleeps in Jesus, and will come again 
with him. May I be a follower of him, as he was of Christ, 
and of all them who through faith and patience inherit the pro- 
mises. At six o'clock P.M., on the 5th of August, he expired." 

Writes Mr. JSTewhall : " Many times, during that day, our 
telescope was pointed towards the mission-house (at Creek 
Town), The sun went down, but no signal. The clock struck 
nine, but no messenger, and we retired. About half-past ten 
o'clock, some one came up the steps leading to the hall door, 
and knocked. Mr. Edgerly raised his window, and said, ' Who 
is there V ' Captain Cumming.'^ ^ Wait a minute, and I will 
let you in.' He was afraid to ask the news. I did not wish 
to ask : for the very footsteps seemed to say, ^ He whom thou 
lovest ' has fallen asleep. The door was quickly opened. Cap- 
tain Cumming came in, and faltered forth, ' Mr. Jameson is gone.' 
The words, which sounded like the notes of a funeral bell, 
passed from the hall to the side-rooms, and from the side-rooms 
to the basement, and there was a general burst of sorrow." 

When word was sent to King Eyo, his reply was : I am very 
sorry to hear that he gone to God, and leave we all. Any place 
you wish to bury him, you shall have for this town." Next 

1 Captain Gumming was the captain of the " Warree." He took out the Mission 
from this country, and then made the voyage from Old Calabar to Jamaica and 
"back. 



THE FUNERAL. 



293 



morning lie came up to the mission-house to offer his help, and 
proposed to hoist his ensign half-mast high. The ships in the 
river did the same. The king seemed truly distressed. He 
did not come, as usual, in state. His umbrella was carried after 
him, furled. He said he would attend the funeral with the 
gentlemen. 

^' I am very sorry we lose him so soon," said he. "I wish 
he had lived here long time ; he would do plenty good to them 
young boys." 

^' It is the will of God, King, who knows, and will do what 
is best." 

" That be thing I no saby, — how God take him away so 
soon, after he send him here long way, for teach we good." 

" Well, King, I no saby (know) that myself ] some of God's 
ways are very dark to us. But I know that he does all things 
well, and must say. Good is the will of the Lord ; shall not the 
Judge of all the earth do right 

In warm climates, affection must hasten to bury the dead out 
of its view : so soon does corruption fix its tooth on the for- 
saken frame. A grave was dug near by, and a coffin was made 
of Jamaica mahogany. Friends from Duke Town, countrymen 
from the shipping, and King Eyo with the gentlemen of Creek 
Town, met to perform the last sad tribute of respect and affec- 
tion. The body was coffined, and carried into the hall, at four 
o'clock P.M. on Friday. All gathered round ; and Mr. Waddell 
prayed, and read appropriate passages of Scripture, but broke 
down when he attempted a short address. Mr. Goldie engaged 
in prayer. The coffined clay was then carried, in sad and solemn 
silence, to its peaceful bed. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust ; on 
the resurrection morning, my brother, we shall meet again." 
Mr. Edgerly then engaged in prayer ; the grave was filled ; and 
King Eyo, unwilling to omit altogether the honours usually 
given to the dead, in Efik, ordered three cannon shots to be 
fired as his farewell ; and these were answered by the Majes- 
tic," at Duke Town. 

Just before he became sick, Mr. Jameson began to write to 
the brethren in Jamaica, and to the students in the Hall. The 



294 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



letters were left unfinished ; and the one for Jamaica is sup- 
posed to contain the last sentence which he penned : " The 
field here is full of interest, and full of hope.'' Nearly fifteen 
years have elapsed since that sentence was written. King Eyo 
Honesty continued friendly to the mission till he died in 1858. 
His two sons were baptized. The elder, who died in 1861, fell 
from his profession, but on his death-bed, he professed great 
penitence on account of his sins, and a reliance on the Lord 
Jesus Christ. The younger brother is now in a state of hope- 
less idiocy, but up to the time when his mind was thus beclouded, 
he showed himself to be serious and sincere. A good many 
natives have been baptized ; and two native churches have been 
formed. Some of those who were received to baptism, have 
gone back to heathenism, and others continue steadfast. 

All united in testifying their appreciation of the deceased 
missionary's worth. 

From Dr. Eobson's letter of consolation we give the follow- 
ing extracts : — 

" It is a sad, sad bereavement — a very great — I had almost 
said, an irreparable loss to the mission ; but we dare not say 
that. How much have brothers and sisters lost, in losing such 
a brother ! I have been very much impressed with that passage 
in the Psalm, in connexion with your dear brother's death : — 
' Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among 
the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.' This is just one 
of the ways in which God will accomplish the great work to 
which he had devoted his life — the exalting of His name among 
the heathen. . . . With regard to dear William Jameson, we 
cannot and dare not sorrow. With him all is well — the work 
achieved — the fight finished— the victory won — the crown con- 
ferred ! His works shall follow him. . . . Your brother has 
fallen at the post of peril and of glory, and great shall be his 
reward in heaven. The Church mourns, and her harp is on the 
wdllows. But light will arise in the darkness. This note im- 
perfectly reflects the state of my heart in reference to the de- 
parture of my early, dearly beloved, and incomparable friend. I 
was to open his church in Old Calabar ! Well, that may not 



TESTIMONIES OF AFFECTIO^iT. 



295 



be j but I hope, through grace, to meet him in that temple 
where the Great High Priest ministers, and to join him yet in 
a song of triumph, as we hail the arrival of redeemed sinners 
from Creek Town and Duke Town ; and who knows but Eyo 
may yet join us in the anthem 

The Board of Missions expressed their sentiments in a 
minute, in which they recorded the " high estimation in which 
they held their departed brother, who, both by natural and 
acquired endowments, and especially by the abundant grace be- 
stowed upon him, was pre-eminently qualified for missionary 
labours. Possessing a peculiarly warm and afiectionate heart, 
great prudence, deep and fervent piety, and untiring energy 
and zeal, he lived for his work, and dedicated all his talents 
to the glorifying of God through the salvation of perishing 
men." 

The Rose Street Missionary Society, who had been identified 
with him in all his missionary career, gave utterance to their 
feelings in similar language ; as also the Missionary Society 
of the students in connexion with the Divinity Hall. 

Dr. Somerville, in improving his death in Rose Street Church, 
thus spoke : — "He was a man who by many attractive 
excellencies, who, both by natural and acquired endowments, 
and especially by the abundant grace conferred upon him, was 
admirably qualified for missionary labour. Possessing a singu- 
larly afi'ectionate disposition, and endowed with remarkable 
humility and disinterestedness, he ever exhibited the gospel as a 
religion of love, and attached to himself by the strong cords of 
aS'ection, all that came within his influence. Prudent also in 
the management of his afi'airs, peculiarly pious and devoted, 
much given to the exercise of faith and prayer, he lived for 
his work, and exerted all his energies to glorify his Divine 
Master in the salvation of perishing men. His amiable temper, 
combined with his fidelity, single-heartedness, and untiring zeal, 
made him not merely successful as a missionary, but most use- 
ful as a missionary correspondent. His communications, breath- 
ing such a spirit of piety, aff'ection, and spiritual fervour, were 
often extremely beautiful, very touching, and impressive, and 



296 



MEMOIR OF EEV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



calculated to awaken in those that read them feelings similar 
to those that glowed in his own fervid bosom." 

Mr. Waddell wrote : — " Our brother's universal kindness and 
affability were calculated to be of great service in correcting pre- 
judice, allaying irritation, and disarming enmity." Mr. Goldie : 
" He taught not only by his words of wisdom, but by the holi- 
ness of his life ; and won the affections of all with whom he 
had any intercourse, by his amiable disposition and total forget- 
fulness of self His life was an eminent example of Christian 
humility." Mr. Edgerly : — '^The eyes of the whole Mission 
were upon him as our counsellor and friend. His suasive tact 
in imparting instruction in the things of God to the unenlight- 
ened, I have seldom seen equalled, never excelled." 

A wail of sorrow arose in Goshen. Father J ameson is 
dead ! Mr. Campbell wrote : — ^' The mournful intelligence of 
the universally lamented death of my beloved, and honoured, 
and now sainted predecessor, was a stunning stroke to us all. 
You have no idea of the excitement of the people here when 
the report was circulated, and when it received confirmation. 
And well, indeed, may they mourn the loss of the prayers of a 
servant of the Lord, whose equal in devotedness to the work of 
the Lord, and zeal for the salvation of souls, has been seldom 
seen in our world." 

We fondly hope and earnestly pray that the above record of 
the life, labours, and death of an earnest missionary, embalmed 
as he is in the memories and hearts of many who admired and 
loved him, will not be unacceptable or unprofitable to the Church 
of God. "The name of William Jameson is endeared to all 
our churches — a name that was the symbol of all that is simple 
in character, lovely in temper, elevated in aim, unwearied in 
zeal, and enterprising in action. The sepulchre of this fallen 
missionary has hallowed the soil of Old Calabar." ^ 

May his mantle fall on many of the young men of the 
churches of Jesus Christ, so that there may be no lack of 
labourers to go where the Lord calls them, whether to the sultry 

1 Rev. Dr. Eadie, Life of Rev. Wm. Wilson, in "Fathers of the United Presbyterian 
Church" (p. 130). 



CALL TO SELF-DEVOTEDXESS. 297 

and pestilential coast of Guinea, or the central parts of vast 
Africa j or to the myriad populations farther east. Let no faint- 
heartedness deprive any one of the honour of having a place in the 
Lord's army of foreign service. IMy brother, whose aspirations 
after this department of the Master's work are apt to be cooled 
by the fear of hardships, depend upon it that things come easy 
as you advance ; difficulties are not so formidable in the actual 
contact, as they looked in the prospect ; and, like all true- 
hearted missionaries who ever lived, you will rejoice in the 
choice which you make, at the call of Heaven, to preach Jesus 
among the sadly degraded children of heathenism. Seek such 
a spirit as animated William Jameson ; seek to be as devoted, 
yea, more devoted ; as unselfish, yea, more unselfish ; as 
courteous, yea, more courteous, to fellow-labourers ; as trustful 
and zealous, yea, more and more so. Come to the help of the 
Lord against the mighty. Oh, how constraining a thing is the 
love of Christ ! William Jameson falls in six months. But 
no one turns coward, and flees from the field. Others descend 
into the dark mine. Other graves gather around that first one, 
under the shade of that stately palm. It waves over the dust 
of Edgerly, one of the first brave band ; of Sutherland, whose 
too short course proved his devotion to the cause ; and of two 
gentle sisters who came but to die, — to pass to glory from the 
presence of heathenism. And these all, in their home on high, 
unite with hundreds more whose dust rests in the soil of Ethi- 
opia, in the battle-cry that once fell from the lips of a dying 
missionary : " Let thousands fall, ere Africa be abandoned." 
Although these died, yet others have been baptized in their 
room ; and the word of God is still preached to the children of 
Efik. 

We cannot better conclude this Memoir, than by calling the 
attention of the reader, and especially of missionaries, to two 
things in which Mr. Jameson excelled. 

First, he never allowed any study or pursuit to occupy his 
time and attention, except what was strictly connected with his 
work. In this he was like the devoted Judson — the apostle of 
Burmah. The latter, both from principle and from choice — 



298 



MEMOIR OF REV. WILLIAM JAMESON. 



impelled at once by a sense of duty, a love for his own special 
work, and a conviction that the day when one can work is short 
— would allow the claims neither of literature nor of science to 
occupy a moment of his precious time. Missionaries are often 
stigmatized as illiterate and ignorant, if they do not make any 
contributions to science, by recording phenomena and collecting 
specimens. Now, this is wrong ; it is unjust. Let science 
send its own savans, as religion sends her missionaries, and as 
commerce sends her traders. The trader has little time or 
strength for anything beyond his trade. And how should an 
earnest missionary have time or strength for anything beyond 
his high enterprise 1 He can admire the vf orks of God around 
him, and take an intelligent interest in their grander and 
minuter features ; but his work forbids that he should spend 
his time and mental or bodily energies in the detailed and special 
examination which is necessary to make his observations of use 
to science. We go to preach the gospel to the heathen, and 
not to serve the interests of commerce, civilisation, or science. 
The success of our enterprise will benefit these important inter- 
ests, but our attention must not be distracted by them. It is 
better to err with a Judson or a Jameson, even in spite of the 
stigma that may be thoughtlessly put upon us, than be lauded 
for contributions to the whole circle of the sciences. If mis- 
sionaries covet distinction in these things, it will be a serious 
snare to them ; and it is safer to incur even reproach for going 
to the other extreme. A Judson or a Jameson in heaven, no 
doubt, rejoices in the grace that enabled him to study that 
singleness of aim for which he was distinguished ; and those 
who are now in the work, would do well to follow such 
examples. 

The second thing is Mr. Jameson's firm faith in the success 
of Christian missions in Africa. His faith rested on what he 
understood the oracles of God to teach. In these he saw 
special promises to Ethiopia ; and as he neared the end of his 
course, his faith seized them with a more vivid realization. 
His soul thrilled with a scriptural conviction of the certainty of 
the conversion of Africa. He knew that the seed which he had 



CONCLUSION. 



299 



begun to sow, would be made to yield fruit. He believed that 
God would regenerate Ham's land, — and that, by means of the 
gospel of His Son. 

Let that church which traces her origin to the stand for 
God's truth made by two of the ancestors of William Jameson, 
go on in its career of missionary enterprise. Having put her 
hand to the plough in the rugged soil of Africa, she can neither 
halt nor retreat without shame and disaster. Much effort has 
been expended in Old Calabar. But has there been that effec- 
tual fervent prayer which brings the life-giving breath of God 
upon the slain in the valley of dry bones 1 The field is full of 
darkness and full of death. But it is as full of interest and of 
hope. 

" Our lamps have been gnencli'd for thy light, Calabar! 
We have sown thee our lives for a harvest in thine ; 
" Buried seeds spring to sheaves ; and the night, star by star, 
Hides her train in the dawn, that the day-spring may shine. 

We have buried our dead, dear to Christ, in thy land, 

The redemption of Afric believing to see I 
For we bought our Machpelah, a pledge for the land. 

When we laid in thy bosom the first of the three." 



EDINBUKGH : T. CONSTABLE, 
PRINTER TO THE QUEEN, AND TO THE TNIVERSITT. 



ERRATUM. 
Page 96, line 31, for former read latter. 



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